System method for providing secure access to a communications network

A system for authenticating a cellular device for connection to a cellular network, the system comprising:

• means for sending a request for connection of the cellular device to the cellular network via a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), wherein the request comprises secure identification of the cellular device;
• means for receiving at the cellular device a response from the network via the BTS, the response including an index corresponding to an entry in a database stored in the cellular device and a network authenticating entity, the entry comprising a random set of timing intervals;
• means for retrieving the timing intervals corresponding to the index, whereupon a secret number known only to the cellular device and an authenticating entity in the cellular network is utilized to generate in the cellular device a communication session key;
• means for inserting a portion of the session key in each packet of a group of packets, wherein the complete session key is contained in the group of data packets;
• means for transmitting the group of packets, the packets separated by the timing intervals in a predetermined order, to the authenticating entity whereupon the authenticating entity determines whether the timing intervals correspond to the index provided to the cellular device;
• and
• means for connecting the cellular device to the network if the timing intervals correspond to the index sent to the cellular device or denying access if otherwise.

A method of securely sending a session key from a cellular network access device to a network authentication device, said method comprising the steps of:

• sending a request for connection of the access device to the authentication device, wherein the request comprises identification of the cellular device;
• receiving at the access device a response from the authentication device, the response including an index corresponding to an entry in a database stored in the access device and the authentication device, the entry comprising a random set of timing intervals;
• retrieving the timing intervals corresponding to the index, whereupon a secret key known only to the access device and the authentication device is utilized to generate in the access device a session key for starting and maintaining communication between the access device and a network supported by the authentication device;
• inserting a portion of the session key in each packet of a group of packets, wherein the session key is completely contained in the group of data packets;
• and
• transmitting the group of data packets to the authentication device, wherein each packet is individually transmitted to the authentication device separated in time from a preceding data packet by one of the timing intervals corresponding to the index provided to the access device.

In a user device, a computer-implemented method of constructing and transmitting a secret key to an authentication device that authenticates the secret key and grants the user device access to a radio telecommunication network, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving an index value from the authentication device;
• utilizing the index value to retrieve from a database, a set of predefined time intervals;
• dividing the secret key into a plurality of segments;
• and
• individually transmitting the segments to the authentication device, wherein each of the segments is separated in time from a previously transmitted segment by one of the predefined time intervals, wherein the time intervals between the segments are part of the secret key.

In a user device, a method of constructing and transmitting a text message to another user device in a radio telecommunication network, said method comprising the steps of:

• signing on to a text messaging server in the network;
• receiving an index value from an authentication entity in the network;
• utilizing the index value to retrieve from a database, a set of predefined time intervals;
• dividing the text message into a plurality of segments;
• individually transmitting the segments to the authentication entity for transfer to the another user device, wherein each of the segments is separated in time from a previously transmitted segment by one of the predefined time intervals;
• the authentication entity, determining the address of the another user device and providing an index corresponding to a database connected to the another user for use in segmenting and separating, with time intervals, any response messages to the user;
• and
• the authentication entity, sending, receiving and converting text message segments, separated by the indexed timing intervals unique to each user, between the user and the another user.