Patent ID: 8165086

Claim:
A method of providing packet switched data services in a communication system comprising a first communication system and a second communication system, the first communication system comprising a licensed radio access network and a core network comprising a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN) for interfacing to a packet services network and a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) for interfacing the licensed radio access network to the GGSN, the second communication system comprising a network controller that communicatively couples a user equipment in a service region of the second communication system to the core network of the first communication system, the method comprising: establishing a secure tunnel between the network controller and the user equipment; receiving a data service session request from the user equipment over the secure tunnel; establishing a GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) tunnel between the network controller and the GGSN, the GTP tunnel bypassing the SGSN, the network controller emulating the SGSN to the GGSN; and through the GTP tunnel, providing packet switched data services of the packet services network to the user equipment.