Patent ID: 7792538

Claim:
A system for enabling commercial subscribers of a first communications carrier to communicate over wireless access points hosted by a second communications carrier, said system comprising: a first storage unit configured to store at least one first database including information identifying subscribers and associated subscriber subscription agreements of a first communications carrier; a second storage unit configured to store at least one second database including information identifying subscribers and associated subscriber subscription agreements of a second communications carrier; a first network of wireless access points associated with first subscribers of the first communications carrier; a second network of wireless access points associated with second subscribers of the second communications carrier, at least one of the subscription agreements enabling the first subscribers to access said second network of wireless access points of the second subscribers of the second communications carrier to communicate over a communications network; and a first computing system in communication with said first storage unit and first network of wireless access points of the first subscribers; a second computing system in communication with said second storage unit, first computing system, and second network of wireless access points, said second computing system configured to: receive a request signal from a wireless device of a user via a wireless access point within said second network of wireless access points of second subscribers to communicate over the communications network; query the at least one second database stored in said second storage unit to determine whether the user is a second subscriber of the second communications carrier; in response to determining that the user is not a second subscriber, communicate with said first computing system to determine whether the user is a first subscriber having a subscription agreement enabling the first subscriber to communicate over the communications network via said second network of wireless access points of second subscribers; and enable the wireless device to access the wireless access point in response to determining that the user is a first subscriber having a subscription agreement enabling communication over the communications network via said second network of wireless access points of second subscribers.