Patent ID: 8831517

Claim:
A tethering mobile device for establishing sponsored tethered connectivity, the tethering mobile device comprising: a short-range wireless communication transceiver; a long-range wireless communication transceiver; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising receiving, via the short-range wireless communication transceiver, a sponsored tethered connectivity request from a special purpose connectivity device, the sponsored tethered connectivity request comprising account information identifying an account belonging to a service provider, an identification of an application server controlled by the service provider, and an identification of a home mobile operator, wherein the identification of the application server controlled by the service provider, the account information identifying the account belonging to the service provider, and the identification of the home mobile operator are part of a pre-approved set used to confirm that the special purpose connectivity device is authorized to access the application server controlled by the service provider, in response to the sponsored tethered connectivity request, establishing, via the long-range wireless communication transceiver, a sponsored tethered connectivity connection between the special purpose connectivity device and the application server on a network, the application server controlled by the service provider, and forwarding, via the sponsored tethered connectivity connection, data between the special purpose connectivity device and the application server controlled by the service provider, wherein a cost of usage of the sponsored tethered connectivity connection is billed to the account belonging to the service provider instead of an account associated with the tethering mobile device and instead of an account associated with the special purpose connectivity device.