Patent ID: 6957065

Claim:
A mobile communications network comprising: a network manager ( 8 ) for managing a plurality of mobile stations ( 6 ) in the network; a first database ( 12 ) holding subscriber information for mobile station subscribers in the network and in communication with the network manager ( 8 ) via a signalling interface ( 14 ) over which information is conveyed using one of a plurality of signalling protocols; a gateway node ( 16 ) in communication with a packet data network for supporting general packet radio services; characterised in that said communications network comprising: at least one second database ( 42 ) in communication with the packet data network over a first packet data interface ( 51 ) and with said gateway node over a second packet data interface ( 44 ) such that information is conveyed over said first and second packet data interfaces using one of a plurality of packet transmission protocols, said second database holding subscriber information for subscribers connected via said packet data network; a protocol converter ( 48 ) in communication with the at least one second database ( 42 ) via a third packet data interface ( 50 ) and with the network manager ( 8 ) via a signalling interface, and operable to convert between a signalling protocol used on the signalling interface and a packet transmission protocol used on the packet data interface; and wherein said first ( 51 ), second ( 44 ) and third ( 50 ) packet data interfaces use the same transmission protocol.