Patent ID: 7894338

Claim:
A method of sharing a Radio Access Network, RAN, in one or more areas by at least two operators, the method comprising: determining whether to grant admission of an User Equipment, UE, to the RAN via a service admission control, wherein a Radio Network Controller, RNC, reads Network Resource Identifier, NRI, information, said read NRI information being used in the service admission control to check a plurality of service admission parameters as a part of a set of admission control parameters to grant or reject requested service depending on whether an operator associated with the NRI has invested in needed technology, said NRI information is contained in an “Initial Direct Transfer” message sent by the UE when requesting a service, traffic is routed to correct Core Network, CN, by a Serving Radio Network Controller, SRNC, the service admission control is performed by the SRNC, an UE request is sent to a Drift Radio Network Controller, DRNC, by SRNC only when the service admission control admits the UE request, and when DRNC requests to set up or modify a radio bearer, the DRNC informs the SRNC which then performs the service admission control and grants the requested set up or modification from the DRNC when admitted by the service admission control.