Patent ID: 8331323

Claim:
An inter-network tunnel switching method, comprising: setting up, by a first inter-network interconnection device on a first network, a second tunnel between the first inter-network interconnection device and a second inter-network interconnection device on a second network and triggering switching from a first tunnel to the second tunnel, wherein the first and second tunnels are configured to forward signaling between a mobile station (MS) on the first network and the second network or between an MS on the second network and the first network; wherein the setting up, by the first inter-network interconnection device, the second tunnel between the first inter-network interconnection device and the second inter-network interconnection device and triggering the switching from the first tunnel to the second tunnel comprises: obtaining, by the first inter-network interconnection device, an ID of the first tunnel from a third inter-network interconnection device on the first network; learning, by the first inter-network interconnection device, that an MS associated with the first tunnel has been handed over to a base station (BS) managed by the first inter-network interconnection device from a BS managed by the third inter-network interconnection device; and sending, by the first inter-network interconnection device, a tunnel switch request to the second inter-network interconnection device on the second network, wherein the tunnel switch request carries indication information of the ID of the first tunnel to instruct the second inter-network interconnection device to set up the second tunnel with the first inter-network interconnection device and switch the first tunnel between the second inter-network interconnection device and the third inter-network interconnection device to the second tunnel.