Patent ID: 7990949

Claim:
A communication system providing enhanced wide area network support via a gateway device, the system comprising: a wireless wide area network operable to support call communication with a plurality of wireless access devices; the gateway device comprising at least one wireless interface compatible with the plurality of wireless access devices, the gateway device arranged to communicatively couple to the wireless wide area network via a broadband network, the gateway device associated with at least one wireless wide area network subscriber; wherein the gateway device performs conversion between air interface messaging used by wireless access devices, and messaging used for communication, via the broadband network, with the wireless wide area network; and wherein the gateway device and the wireless wide area network operate to permit handoff of wireless access device call communication for the at least one wireless wide area network subscriber between the at least one wireless interface and the wireless wide area network, if it is determined that an association of the gateway device with the at least one wireless wide area network subscriber is known to the wireless wide area network prior to call establishment.