Patent ID: 8045493

Claim:
A network controller to operate in an unlicensed wireless communication system comprising a first radio access network, the network controller comprising: a first network interface comprising an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface; a second network interface comprising a Up interface for communicating with a mobile station (MS) via an access point communicatively coupled between the network controller and the MS, the Up interface including a plurality of protocol layers implemented over the IP network interface; a third network interface for connecting the network controller to a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) core network that is accessible to a second radio access network comprising a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), the third network interface comprising an Iu-CS (circuit-switched) interface to communicate with a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) in the UMTS core network, the third network interface supporting signaling protocols for circuit-switched services while inter-working with the UMTS core network via the Iu-CS interface using a layered protocol that includes a Radio Access Node Application Part (RANAP) layer over a Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) layer and a plurality of Iu-CS control plane lower layers; and one or more modules for generating and/or processing a plurality of messages transmitted over the third network interface between the network controller and the UMTS core network, wherein the network controller appears to the UMTS core network as a UTRAN Radio Network Controller (RNC).