Patent ID: 8289937

Claim:
A method for supporting an interworking between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a mobile communications system, the mobile communications system comprising a UMTS network having a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN) as a first Support Node for interfacing a radio access network comprising a Radio Network Controller (RNC) to a core network and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) as a second Support Node for interfacing the mobile communications system to a second communications system, the method comprising the steps of: providing an interworking function (IWF) associated with the WLAN and coupled to the mobile communications system, the IWF is disposed on a WLAN side of the interworking; establishing at least one GPRS Tunneling Protocolâ€”User plane GTP-U tunnel between the IWF and the second Support Node for transferring data signals, wherein establishing the at least one GPRS Tunneling Protocolâ€”User plane GTP-U tunnel couples the IWF of the WLAN to the GGSN of the mobile communications network while bypassing the RNC and the SGSN of the mobile communications network; and establishing at least one GPRS Tunneling Protocolâ€”Control plane GTP-C tunnel between the first Support Node and the second Support Node for transferring control signals.