Patent ID: 8494522

Claim:
A method of controlling communication service for a mobile station, the method comprising steps of: receiving a first signaling message relating to a request of the mobile station to register with a mobile wireless communication network including one or more macro cells and one or more pico cells, wherein the pico cells connect to the mobile wireless communication network through a packet data network, the first signaling message being received through a base transceiver system of one of the pico cells of the network; responsive to the first signaling message, retrieving, from among a plurality of profile records for customers, a profile record associated with a mobile directory number (MDN) or mobile identification number (MIN) provisioned to a plurality of mobile stations including the mobile station, the retrieved profile record indicating that each mobile station of the plurality of mobile stations is authorized for service only through an identified pico cell of the network; determining whether or not a pico cell identifier included in the first signaling message corresponds to the pico cell identified by the profile record associated with the MDN or MIN provisioned to the plurality of mobile stations including the mobile station; granting or rejecting registration of the mobile station through the pico cell, respectively, based on the determining of whether or not the pico cell identifier corresponds to the pico cell identified by the profile record associated with the MDN or MIN provisioned to the plurality of mobile stations including the mobile station; receiving a second signaling message relating to a request of the mobile station to register with the network through a base transceiver system of one of the macro cells of the network; in response to receiving the second signaling message through one of the macro cells, determining that the mobile station is not authorized for use through the one or more macro cells of the network based on the indication in the retrieved profile record that each mobile station of the plurality of mobile stations is authorized for service only through the identified pico cell connecting to the mobile wireless communication network through the packet data network; and rejecting registration of the mobile station through the one macro cell based on the determining that the mobile station is not authorized for use through macro cells of the network.