Patent ID: 8787306

Claim:
A method of facilitating remote access to a mobile network, comprising: obtaining information specific to a user terminal (UT) from a direct or indirect over the air (OTA) message originating from the UT, a network database or an operator's home location register; employing the UT-specific information to determine access capabilities of the UT that are indicative of (i) a first set of access point types to which the UT is configured to communicate, or (ii) both the first set of access point types and a second set of access point types to which the UT is not configured to communicate; generating a custom system determination list (SDL) that establishes a given access point type from the first set of access point types as a preferred type of access point for access point selection based upon the access capabilities of the UT, wherein the custom SDL establishes multiple priority hierarchies that establish different access point priorities when the UT is within and outside a home geographic area (GEO), the multiple priority hierarchies including: if the first set of access point types includes Femto and macro, Femto is the preferred type of access point in the custom SDL if the UT is operating in the home GEO, and macro is the preferred type of access point in the custom SDL if the UT is not operating in the home GEO, or if the first set of access point types includes macro and the second set of access point types includes Femto, macro is the preferred type of access point in the custom SDL irrespective of whether the UT is operating in the home GEO; and transmitting the custom SDL from the mobile network to the UT.