Patent ID: 9078188
Filing Date: 2015-07-07
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for performing a handover of user equipment between a UMTS network and a WiMAX network, comprising: accessing a base station of the UMTS network by a UMTS modem of the user equipment for handover of the user equipment; loading a proxy mobility agent (“PMA”) into a gateway support node of the UMTS network so that the PMA interfaces with a home agent, the gateway support node and the user equipment; allocating a UMTS IP address to the user equipment by the home agent; transferring the UMTS IP address to the gateway support node so that a proxy mobile IP (“PMIP”) tunnel between the home agent and the gateway support node can be created by the home agent; notifying the user equipment of the UMTS IP address by the PMA so that the user equipment can interface with the home agent via the PMIP tunnel between the home agent and the gateway support node; accessing a base station of the WiMAX network by a WiMAX modem of the user equipment for handover of the user equipment; allocating a WiMAX IP address to the user equipment by the home agent; notifying the user equipment of the WiMAX IP address by the home agent so that the user equipment can interface with the home agent via a client mobile IP (“CMIP”) tunnel between the home agent and the user equipment, created by the home agent using the WiMax IP address; and cancelling the PMIP tunnel of the UMTS network by the home agent when the user equipment completes handover to the WiMAX network by using the CMIP tunnel for user traffic, wherein the home agent includes an access network detection function that determines whether the user equipment accesses a UMTS network or a WiMAX network, and wherein the access network detection function includes detecting the access network based upon a source address of the user equipment for a WiMAX network, and a source address of the gateway support node for a UMTS network.