Patent ID: 7519358

Claim:
A method implemented by communication infrastructure equipment for provisioning a wireless mobile station, MS, comprising the steps of: receiving first signals at an over the air function, OTAF, server, including a request for an update of shared secret data, SSD, of the MS where the first signals use a different signaling protocol other than Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, signaling, the different signaling protocol being understood by a mobile switching center, MSC, and home location register, HLR; converting the first signals, including the SSD update request, into corresponding second signals utilizing IMS signaling protocol; transmitting the second signals to the MS; receiving third signals from the MS generated in response to the receipt of the second signals, the third signals having the same signaling protocol as the second signals; converting the third signals into fourth protocol signals having the same signaling protocol as the first signals and transmitting the fourth signals from the OTAF server to the HLR, whereby the MS using only IMS protocol can obtain provisioning from the communication infrastructure equipment that does not utilize IMS signaling among at least some of its nodes; receiving, from the MS that has not been previously provisioned, an Over the Air Service Provisioning, OTASP, request where said request is transmitted using IMS signaling; wherein the OTASP request is received at a Serving Call Session Control Function, S-CSCF, node that relays the request as a short messaging system message using session initiation protocol, SIP, to the OTAF server.