Patent ID: 8635678

Claim:
A method performed by a network system, the method comprising: storing a plurality of device credentials associated with a device group, the device group comprising a plurality of wireless devices, the device group managed at least in part by a device-group management entity that is different from a network system operator associated with the network system, each of the plurality of device credentials associated with a different one of the plurality of wireless devices, each of the plurality of wireless devices in the device group coupled to or capable of being coupled to the network system over a wireless access network; providing a secure interface configured to assist the device-group management entity in creating or modifying at least a portion of a service policy associated with the device group, the service policy configured to assist the network system in controlling, monitoring, or accounting for communications associated with the device group, the communications associated with the device group comprising one or more attempted or successful communications over the wireless access network associated with one or more of the wireless devices in the device group; provisioning one or more elements based on the service policy; identifying the communications associated with the device group; and applying at least a portion of the service policy based on the identified communications associated with the device group.