Patent ID: 8812688

Claim:
A method comprising: determining to specify at least one group of user devices, the at least one group of user devices including at least a first path to establish a network connection and a second path to establish a local connection among the user devices, wherein each user device of the group of user devices includes one or more user interfaces; and determining to cause at least in part an activation of one or more user devices to establish the network connection, wherein one or more unactivated user devices share the network connection over the local connection, wherein two or more user devices of the at least one group of user devices are mobile terminals, wherein at least two of the two or more user devices of the at least one group of user devices are configured to establish a network connection and will be activated and accept the network connection responsibility to share the network connection over the local connection among the user devices of the at least one group of user devices, wherein the network connection comprises a cellular data service, and wherein an activated user device of the at least one group of user devices connects to the cellular data service and shares access to the cellular data service to unactivated user devices of the at least one group of user devices via the local connection, the method further comprising: determining a schedule for circulating an activation state among the user devices that are configured to establish a network connection for connection of the user devices that are configured to establish a network connection to the cellular data service, wherein the causing at least in part of the activation of the one or more user devices is based, at least in part, on the schedule, and wherein the circulating of the activation state comprises passing a token among the user devices that are configured to establish a network connection, and wherein the token represents a responsibility for establishing the network connection.