Patent ID: 8126432

Claim:
A mobile communications network for use with a plurality of mobile stations each having an international mobile equipment identity (“IMEI”) and a plurality of functional capabilities, the network comprising: at least one database including subscriber/device data and device capability data, for each of a plurality of subscriber identity modules, the plurality of subscriber identity modules comprising SIM data, each subscriber identity module being removably coupled to a different one of the plurality of mobile stations, and each of the plurality of mobile stations transmitting the SIM data and the IMEI to the network, the subscriber/device data associating the SIM data with an associated IMEI including one of the IMEI of the mobile station to which the subscriber identity module is coupled and a different IMEI, and for each of the plurality of mobile stations, the device capability data associating the IMEI of the mobile station with the plurality of functional capabilities of the mobile station; and a programmed routine configured to: determine for at least one of the plurality of mobile stations, that the subscriber/device data indicates the SIM data transmitted to the network by the mobile station is associated with a different IMEI, determine for at least one mobile station transmitting SIM data determined to be associated in the subscriber/device data with the different IMEI than the one transmitted by the mobile station, that in the device capability data, the IMEI transmitted by the mobile station is associated with at least one new functional capability not associated with the different IMEI, and initiate configuration of each mobile station transmitting an IMEI determined to be associated with at least one new functional capability to support the at least one new functional capability; wherein before the programmed routine determines whether in the device capability data, the IMEI included in the notification is associated with the new functional capability not associated with the different IMEI, the programmed routine determines whether the subscriber/device data indicates the IMEI included in the notification is the same as the different IMEI associated with the SIM data included in the notification, and if the IMEI included in the notification is the same as the different IMEI, the programmed routine does not perform the determination of whether in the device capability data, the IMEI included in the notification is associated with at least one new functional capability not associated with the different IMEI, and the initiation of the configuration the mobile station that transmitted the IMEI included in the notification to support the at least one new functional capability.