Patent ID: 8472919

Claim:
A method, comprising steps of: detecting, by an application server, a first data communication request requesting access to a function of a data service associated with the application server, directed to a first destination data communication address, received from a mobile communication application of a mobile device through a mobile communication network, the first data communication request including the first destination data communication address, and inclusion of the first destination data communication address in the first data communication request causing the mobile communication network to assign a unique source data communication address to the mobile device in the mobile communication network; responsive to detection of the first data communication request directed to the first destination data communication address, obtaining: from a database of the mobile communication network, an operator identifier associated with the unique source data communication address and assigned to the mobile device by an operator of the mobile communication network, the operator identifier to be used in execution of the mobile communication application, and a device specific identifier for the mobile device; transmitting a data communication response to the mobile communication application based on the first data communication request and the obtained operator and device specific identifiers associated with the mobile device, wherein: the data communication response causes the mobile communication application to send subsequent data communication requests to the application server using a second destination data communication address, the second destination data communication address is different from the first destination data communication address, and inclusion of the second destination data communication address in the subsequent data communication requests causes the mobile communication network to assign a source data communication address to the mobile device, wherein the source data communication address is shared concurrently among the mobile device and a plurality of other mobile devices communicating through the mobile communication network; and storing the obtained operator identifier and the device specific identifier associated with the mobile device, for further use in response to the subsequent data communication requests from the mobile communication application.