Patent ID: 8839378

Claim:
A method of interworking between a first authentication domain and a second authentication domain, comprising: performing, by a bridge module, a first authentication procedure for a mobile station with a wireless access network, wherein the first authentication procedure comprises communicating authentication messaging between the wireless access network and an authentication node in a service provider network, wherein the mobile station is associated with a subscriber of the service provider network, wherein the communicating authentication messaging includes communicating a credential from the service provider network to the wireless access network, and wherein the first authentication procedure establishes authentication of the mobile station by the wireless access network; and performing, by the bridge module, a second authentication procedure for the mobile station with the service provider, wherein the second authentication procedure comprises communicating, from the wireless access network, the credential received during the first authentication procedure to the service provider network, and wherein the second authentication procedure establishes authentication of the mobile station by the service provider network.