Method for authenticating an over-the-air functional entity to a wireless terminal

Abstract

A technique for enabling an over-the-air functional entity to authenticate itself to a wireless terminal and to provide new parameters to the wireless terminal is disclosed. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the over-the-air functional entity is primarily responsible for updating the parameters in the wireless terminal. But if the wireless terminal requests evidence of the over-the-air functional entity's authority to provide the new parameters, the wireless terminal's home wireless telecommunications system prepares the appropriate credentials on behalf of the over-the-air functional entity. The over-the-air functional entity then use these credentials for authenticating itself to the wireless terminal. In other words, although the over-the-air functional entity is responsible for updating the parameters, the wireless terminal's home wireless telecommunications system is responsible for assisting the over-the-air functional entity in authenticating itself to the wireless terminal. An illustrative embodiment comprises the steps of: transmitting a request to update at least one parameter in a wireless terminal; receiving an authentication challenge from the wireless terminal in response to the request; forwarding the authentication challenge to an authentication center that is associated with the wireless terminal; and receiving an authentication response from the authentication center in response to the authentication challenge.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.