Residential gateway for providing backup interface to external network

A residential gateway for providing an end user of a network terminal in a residential network with access to an external network, said residential gateway comprising:

• at least one network terminal interface arranged to provide an internal connection to said network terminal and a primary external network interface arranged to provide a first external connection to said external network,
• a secondary external network interface arranged to establish a second external connection with a mobile radio communications network in order to provide a backup access path to said external network;
• and,
• a control unit arranged to activate said secondary external network interface, if not already activated, in response to detecting a loss of network connectivity over said first external connection, and forward data traffic between said residential network and said external network through said activated secondary external network interface, wherein said second external connection comprises a third external connection between said secondary external network interface and a mobile terminal, and a fourth external connection between said mobile terminal and said mobile radio communications network, and said residential gateway is further arranged to establish said fourth external connection by using said mobile terminal as a modem.

A method for use in a residential gateway in order to provide an end user of a network terminal in said residential network with access to an external network, said residential gateway comprising at least one network terminal interface arranged to provide an internal connection to said network terminal and a primary external network interface arranged to provide a first external connection to said external network, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting in said residential gateway whether network connectivity over said first external connection is lost;
• activating a secondary external network interface, if not already activated, in said residential gateway in response to said detection;
• establishing a secondary external connection between said activated secondary external network interface in said residential gateway and a mobile radio communications network in order to provide a backup access path to said external network;
• forwarding data traffic between said residential network and said external network through said backup access path, wherein said secondary external connection comprises a third external connection between said secondary external network interface and a mobile terminal, and a fourth external connection between said mobile terminal and said mobile radio communications network;
• and,
• establishing said fourth external connection by using said mobile terminal as a modem.