Patent ID: 8442521

Claim:
A method comprising: during activation of a mobile device, where activation includes connecting the mobile device to an access device: receiving, at the access device, an activation request to activate the mobile device, where the activation request includes a first identifier for the mobile device and a first identifier for a smart card in the mobile device; receiving, at the access device and from a device operational repository, information identifying a first telecommunications carrier specified for the smart card in the mobile device when the mobile device was manufactured; sending, from the access device to a telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, an authentication request, where the authentication request includes authentication information; and receiving, at the access device and in response to the authentication request, an authorization to activate the mobile device for the first telecommunications carrier when the authentication information matches information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, where the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository is specified when the mobile device was sold to a user and includes a second identifier for the mobile device, a second identifier for the smart card, and a second telecommunications carrier.