Patent ID: 6850763

Claim:
A proxy switch for use in a mobile communications network having at least one mobile switching center (MSC) and at least one base station subsystem (BS), wherein the MSC and BS each communicate signaling messages according to a mobile signaling protocol, the proxy switch comprising: signaling message handling logic for receiving signaling messages from the MSC and BS in accordance with said mobile signaling protocol; message interception logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for sending an acknowledgment message to an MSC or BS that transmits a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic and for preventing the signaling messages from being forwarded to the other of the BS and MSC respectively; message conversion logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for converting a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic from one of the MSC and BS into a converted signaling message for transmission to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively; and message transmission logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for transmitting signaling messages from one of the MSC and the BS to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively.