Patent ID: 8184538

Claim:
A method of regulating network services provided by network access points to a plurality of communication terminals, the method comprising: maintaining, by at least one network service provider system, subscriber information defining which of a plurality of network service levels is allocated to the communication terminals; regulating network service levels provided by the network access points to the communication terminals in response to the subscriber information; and determining that a communication terminal is roaming by receiving from the communication terminal an access request at a network access point of a first network subscriber who has registered with the at least one network service provider system to receive a first network service level; determining that the communication terminal is associated with a second network subscriber who has registered with the at least one network service provider system and is allocated a second network service level; obtaining information identifying the second network service level from subscriber information maintained by the second network service provider system; and regulating the network access point of the first network subscriber to provide the second network service level to the communication terminal, comprising allocating excess bandwidth that is not otherwise used by one or more home communication terminals of the second network subscriber.