Patent ID: 8180878

Claim:
A method of terminating an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network enabled communication service involving a first user terminal, the first terminal having been allocated an IP address by a Connectivity Session Location and Repository Function (CLF) in a fixed line access network used by the first terminal to access the communication service in the IMS network, the method comprising: upon establishing the IP Multimedia Subsystem enabled communication service, a network node in the IMS network sending a Diameter subscribe message to the CLF in the fixed line access network, the Diameter subscribe message requesting that a Diameter notify message be sent by the CLF to the network node when any change occurs to the state of the allocated IP address; the network node in the IMS network determining when the IP address is no longer allocated to the user of the first terminal by the fixed line access network as a result of a loss of connectivity between the first user terminal and the fixed line access network, wherein the network node determines non-allocation of the IP address upon receiving the Diameter notify message from the CLF in the fixed line access network signaling a change of state of the IP address; and as a consequence of the determination, the network node terminating all ongoing IMS sessions of the IP Multimedia Subsystem communication service with the first user terminal, thereby de-registering the first user terminal from the IMS network to prevent transmission of any messages related to the first user terminal to a second user terminal in the fixed line access network to which the same IP address has been subsequently reallocated by the CLF.