Patent ID: 7957721

Claim:
A telecommunications network comprising a radio access network which generates and transmits, in a broadcast channel over an air interface, an access group eligibility message which enables a user equipment unit which receives the access group eligibility message to make a determination whether the user equipment unit is eligible to operate or not operate in a cell for which the access group eligibility message is transmitted, the determination involving a comparison of access group eligibility information transmitted in the access group message and an access group classification information, the access group classification information having been generated by a core network node which classified the user equipment unit into at least one of plural access groups; wherein the user equipment unit stores the access group classification information obtained from an access group classification message in a memory at the user equipment unit; wherein the user equipment unit upon receiving the access group eligibility message compares the stored access group classification with contents of the access group eligibility message to determine on a basis of an access group to which the user equipment unit belongs as indicated by the access group classification information whether the user equipment unit is allowed access to the cell for which the access group eligibility message is transmitted; and wherein the access group eligibility message includes a first bitmap which indicates eligibility for the plural access groups; wherein the access group classification message includes a second bitmap which advises the user equipment unit as to which of the plural access groups the user equipment unit belongs.