Patent ID: 8498281

Claim:
A mobile station, comprising: a memory configured to store applications and data; a processor configured to execute the stored applications; a user interface comprising an input section and an output section; authentication means operable to authenticate a user of the mobile station; a radio transceiver providing a communication interface to one or more access networks (AN), configured to establish and maintain a broadband connection with a mobile communication network in response to a successful authentication of the user of the mobile station; a wireless local-area network (WLAN) circuitry responsive to an activation or deactivation command from the processor or according to a setting received via the input section of the user interface; wherein the stored applications include a gateway application which comprises: a first code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to activate the WLAN circuitry as a WLAN base station capable of communicating with at least one WLAN terminal over a WLAN network; a second code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to create a network identifier for the WLAN base station; a third code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to assign an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN terminal; a fourth code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to resolve domain name service (DNS) queries in cooperation with an external DNS service system; a fifth code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to assign at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application; a sixth code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to tunnel internet traffic between the at least one WLAN terminal and an internet host over the broadband connection; and a seventh code portion, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to deactivate the WLAN circuitry in response to a detected absence of activity of the at least one WLAN terminal over a predetermined period of time.