Patent ID: 8904167

Claim:
A method operational in a relay node, comprising: configuring the relay node to operate between a first access node and a first mobile node by relaying traffic between the first access node and the first mobile node, the first access node equipped to provide access to a communications network, where a first communication interface of the relay node is adapted to communicate with the first access node utilizing a first signaling protocol, the relay node appearing as a second mobile node to the first access node, and a second communication interface adapted to communicate with the first mobile node utilizing a second signaling protocol, the relay node appearing as a second access node to the first mobile node; sending a device authentication message from the relay node to the first access node to enable device authentication of the relay node; and sending a subscriber authentication message from the relay node to the first access node to enable subscriber authentication of the relay node, wherein the device authentication is bound to the subscriber authentication in determining whether the relay node can obtain service over the communication network accessed via the first access node and wherein the relay node is granted access to communicate with the communications network upon both successful subscriber authentication and successful device authentication.