Patent ID: 8825009

Claim:
A method for operating a RF communication device, comprising operating the RF communication device using a first authentication module, which comprises a first processor and a first memory storing first subscriber information suitable for authenticating and identifying a first subscriber on a first RF communication network, detecting an operative connection of the RF communication device to a connectable second authentication module, which comprises a second memory storing second subscriber information suitable for authenticating and identifying either the first or the second subscriber on either the first RF communication network or on a second RF communication network, reading the second subscriber information from the second authentication module, ascertaining whether the second subscriber information fulfills a predetermined validity criterion if the validity criterion is fulfilled by the second subscriber information, operating the RF communication device using the second authentication module either in addition to using the first authentication module or without using the first authentication module and if the validity criterion is not fulfilled by the second subscriber information, continuing operation of the RF communication device using the first authentication module.