Patent ID: 7385947

Claim:
An access-point node to a network cell of a radio access network, the access-point node comprising: a call-processing unit that is configured to ascertain whether an incoming communication request originates from an originating terminal device located inside the network cell and whether the incoming communication request is directed to the terminating terminal device located inside the network cell, a local-switching unit that is connected with the call processing unit and configured to establish, maintain, and release upon reception of a communication request originating and terminating inside the network cell a local user-data radio channel consisting of a first local channel section having as endpoints a first terminal device located in the network cell and the access-point node, and of a second local channel section having as endpoints the access-point node and a second terminal device located in the network cell, and establish, maintain, and release the first local channel section upon the reception of a communication request that is either originating from or terminating at the first terminal device inside the network cell, and a non-local-switching unit that is connected with the call-processing unit and configured to exchange packetized user data and control data with an assigned superordinate access-center node for establishing, maintaining and releasing communication between the first terminal device located in the network cell and a third terminal device located outside the network cell.