Mobile communication network

A base station for use as part of an access network arranged to communicate with a core network portion of a public mobile telecommunications network, wherein said base station is adapted to communicate over an unlicensed radio interface with at least one mobile terminal and to communicate through a fixed broadband network with an access control part of said access network connected to said core network, wherein said base station is arranged to relay messages transmitted between said mobile terminal and said core network transparently over said unlicensed radio interface and through said fixed network.

An access network controller for use as part of an access network arranged to enable communication of a mobile terminal with a public mobile telecommunications network through an unlicensed radio interface, wherein said access network controller is arranged to communicate with a core network portion of said public mobile telecommunications network over a predetermined licensed mobile network interface and is further connected to a fixed broadband network for communication with mobile terminals through at least one base station, wherein said access network controller is arranged to transmit and receive upper layer messages exchanged with mobile terminals in a transparent manner over said fixed broadband network.

A mobile telecommunications network including an access network portion and a core network portion, wherein said access portion includes a plurality of base station systems for communicating with mobile terminals over a licensed public mobile network air interface, said base station systems being arranged to communicate with said core network portion over a predetermined mobile network interface, wherein said network includes at least one local base station system arranged to communicate with said core network portion over said predetermined mobile network interface and further adapted to communicate with mobile terminals over an unlicensed radio interface, wherein said local base station system is arranged to relay upper layer messages between said mobile terminals and said core network substantially transparently.

A mobile terminal for communicating with a mobile telecommunications network including an access network portion and a core network portion, said terminal comprising:

• a communication management module for generating upper layer messages for, and receiving upper layer messages from, said core network;
• a first interface module for establishing a licensed public mobile network radio link with said access network portion and relaying said upper layer messages to and from said communication management module;
• a second interface module for establishing an unlicensed radio link with a modified access network connected to said core network, wherein said second interface module is arranged to relay said upper layer messages over said unlicensed radio link when said mobile terminal is connected to said modified access network.