Cooperative network architecture

A server intended for use in a communication network, said server comprising:

• a storage unit for storing a data table that maps identifiers of subnetworks of the communication network associated with respective qualities of service, to at least one network address of a user terminal, said network address comprising an IP address of the user terminal;
• a receiving unit for receiving a request, from a second server of a service provider, said request requesting information concerning said communication network;
• a transmission unit for transmitting at least a portion of the data table to said second server, said portion comprising the mappings between each subnetwork identifier and said at least network address of a user terminal so that the second server supplies a service to a user terminal according to a quality of service corresponding to the subnetwork mapped to the network address of the user terminal in the portion of the data table;
• and
• a unit for implementing a quality of service policy that is differentiated by network address, based on the membership of each network address in a subnetwork of the communication network, said membership being determined from the data table,
• wherein the server is adapted to implement receiving a session creation request from a user terminal, allocating an identifier of subnetwork for said session, and assigning to the user terminal a network address for said session based on said allocated identifier of subnetwork.

A server intended to be used by a service provider to communicate with a server of a communication network, said server comprising:

• a transmission unit for transmitting a request to said server of the communication network, said request requesting information concerning said communication network;
• a receiving unit for receiving at least a portion of a data table stored on the server of the communication network, said portion comprising mappings between identifiers of subnetworks of the communication network and at least one network address of a user terminal, said network address comprising an IP address of the user terminal;
• and
• a storage unit for storing said portion of the data table,
• wherein the storage unit stores a table that maps subnetwork identifiers to respective qualities of service, said server of the service provider further comprising a unit for supplying a service to a user terminal according to a quality of service corresponding to the subnetwork mapped to the network address assigned to the user terminal for a session in the portion of the data table.