Patent ID: 7702915

Claim:
An access authentication system for authenticating access to a first wireless local area network (W-LAN), the operator of which administers a visitor authentication, authorization and accounting (VAAA) server, wherein: a user requesting visiting access to the first W-LAN, and having a mobile telephone, a valid cellular mobile account for the mobile telephone, a portable computing device with a browser, and a registration with a second W-LAN operator that administers a home authentication, authorization and accounting (HAAA) server, conveys to the VAAA server, by user intervention, identity information sufficient to enable said VAAA server to communicate with said HAAA server so as to authenticate the proposed connection; said HAAA issues a personal identification number (PIN); the PIN is encoded and forwarded to the user's mobile telephone and transferred to the browser to authenticate the requested visiting access to the W-LAN; the cost of such access is billed to the user's cellular mobile account; and the requested access is achieved via the user's browser.