Patent ID: 7907559

Claim:
An access selection system for a user terminal, said system providing simultaneous access to a plurality of radio based access networks of diverse access technologies, said radio access networks being adapted for connection to a common backbone network, the system comprising: a plurality of access selection adapters, each one being a network entity provided separate from the user terminal, and each one associated with a respective radio access network, and each access selection adapter structured for receiving radio access dependent information from its associated access network and for mapping said radio access dependent information to access technology independent status information; and an access selector being a network entity provided separate from the user terminal, and structured to interact with applications resident in the user terminal and to interact with each access selection adapter for selection of a radio access network based on an individual QoS profile representing an access technology independent information associated with each application and on said access technology independent status information, wherein each access selection adapter is structured to translate messages and parameters received from the associated access network into QoS parameters, and obtain access technology independent status information from the QoS parameters, and wherein the access technology independent status information is a set of QoS related parameters relating to a traffic already existing in the respective access network, and the access technology independent information is a set of QoS related parameters defined as requirements associated with the application in the QoS profile.