Method and arrangement for authenticating terminal equipment

• US 20040152448A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Passi, Jussi
• Application Number:
  US10/738,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152448A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An arrangement and method for authenticating terminal equipment establishing a connection to a system. An authentication server receives an authentication request concerning the terminal equipment establishing the connection and comprising a user ID, the authentication server determines on the basis of the user ID the system to which the terminal equipment is trying to connect. The authentication server transmits the authentication request to an identification server of said system. The terminal equipment transmitting the request is authenticated in the identification server of the system and a response is transmitted to the authentication server. The establishment of a connection between the system and the terminal equipment is approved or refused on the basis of the response.

Claims

1. An arrangement for authenticating terminal equipment, the arrangement comprising an authentication server that is arranged

to receive an authentication request concerning the terminal equipment establishing a connection and comprising a user ID,

to identify on the basis of the user ID the system, to which the terminal equipment is trying to connect,

to transmit the authentication request to an identification server of said system, and

the identification server of the system is arranged to authenticate the terminal equipment which transmitted the request and to send a response to the authentication server that is arranged, on the basis of the response, to either approve or refuse the establishment of a connection between the system and terminal equipment.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication server is a RADIUS server.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, the arrangement further comprising a network access server that is operatively connected to the authentication server and arranged to receive connection requests from terminals.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification server of the system is arranged to check user identification information from its own database.

5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal equipment is a mobile phone.

6. A method for authenticating terminal equipment establishing a connection to a system the method comprising

receiving at an authentication server an authentication request concerning the terminal equipment establishing the connection and comprising a user ID,

determining at the authentication server on the basis of the user ID the system, to which the terminal equipment is trying to connect,

transmitting from the authentication server the authentication request to the identification server of said system,

authenticating the terminal equipment sending the request in the identification server of the system, and sending a response to the authentication server,

approving or refusing, on the basis of the response, the establishment of a connection between the system and terminal.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the identification server of the system checks the validity of the authentication request from the user register of the system.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, the method further comprising receiving a connection request from terminal equipment in a telecommunications network,

transmitting a connection challenge to the terminal equipment,

receiving from the terminal equipment a user ID, equipment ID and an encrypted response to the challenge,

transmitting an authentication request to the authentication server, containing the information received from the terminal equipment, and

transmitting on the basis of the information received by the authentication server an authentication enquiry from the authentication server to the identification server of the system.