Patent ID: 8234381

Claim:
A method comprising: detecting, by a client, carrier network signals transmitted by a plurality of carrier networks; determining carrier network identifiers associated with the detected carrier network signals; retrieving carrier network information from an access point database stored at the client based on the determined carrier network identifiers, wherein the carrier network information includes information indicating carrier network systems associated with the carrier network identifiers, respectively, wherein each of the carrier network systems comprises two or more carrier network identifiers; selecting a preferred carrier network system from the carrier network systems based on one or more network system preferences stored in the access point database; communicating with a preferred carrier network of the plurality of carrier networks, the preferred carrier network being associated with the preferred carrier network system; detecting an additional carrier network belonging to an additional carrier network system; determining whether the additional carrier network is more preferable than the preferred carrier network based on business logic stored by the client; and selectively communicating with the additional carrier network.