Patent ID: 7603697

Claim:
A method for providing secure communications for a multi-media message service (MMS) application service through a wireless network, comprising the steps of: receiving a request for a subscriber to initiate a new subscription to the MMS application service, the subscriber currently having an account with a wireless service provider such that a mobile station of the subscriber has already been authenticated by the wireless service provider to operate on the wireless network but the mobile station of the subscriber has not yet been authorized to utilize the MMS application service; in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service, generating authentication-related data; transferring a short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol message containing the authentication data generated in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service, to a short message service center (SMSC) coupled to the wireless network; sending the authentication-related data generated in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service, in a short message service (SMS) protocol message, through the wireless network from the SMSC to the mobile station of these subscriber; correlating an identification of the mobile station of the subscriber to the authentication-related data generated in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service; making the correlation of the mobile station to the authentication-related data generated in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service accessible to an application server coupled to the wireless network, wherein the application server is configured to operate as a multi-media message service center (MMSC); and utilizing said authentication-related data generated in response to the request to initiate the new subscription to the MMS application service, at the mobile station and the MMSC, to facilitate a secure communication of one or more application messages, of the MMS application service, between the mobile station and the MMSC via a packet communication session through the wireless network.