Patent ID: 8213396

Claim:
In a system in which a radio access network (RAN) is capable of communicating with both a first wireless communication device (WCD) and a second WCD according to a first wireless communication technology, wherein the first WCD and the second WCD are capable of communicating with one another according to a second wireless communication technology, wherein the first WCD and the second WCD are both end-user devices, wherein the first WCD is associated with a first WCD identifier, and wherein the first WCD and the RAN share a secret key, a method comprising: the first WCD making a first determination that the first WCD has failed to communicate properly with the RAN; in response to making the first determination, the first WCD digitally signing at least the first WCD identifier with the secret key, and the first WCD transmitting a first message to the second WCD, wherein the first message (i) seeks to disable paging from the RAN to the first WCD, (ii) is transmitted according to the second wireless communication technology, and (iii) includes the signed first WCD identifier; the second WCD receiving the first message; and in response to receiving the first message, the second WCD copying the signed first WCD identifier from the first message to a second message, and the second WCD transmitting the second message to the RAN, wherein the second message (i) seeks to disable paging from the RAN to the first WCD, (ii) is transmitted according to the first wireless communication technology, and (iii) includes the signed first WCD identifier, thereby providing the RAN with information with which to authenticate that an entity seeking to disable paging to the first WCD is the first WCD.