Enabling and Controlling Access to Wireless Hot Spots

A method comprising:

• in an access point of a wireless hotspot:
• advertising hotspot capabilities of the wireless hotspot in a manner detectable to a wireless communication device within communication range of the wireless hotspot;
• and
• without having first sent authentication information for the wireless communication device from the wireless hotspot to a wireless telephone network:
• receiving at the wireless hotspot, from the wireless telephone network, an access authorization for the wireless communication device to access the wireless hotspot, the access authorization granted according to authentication information provided to the wireless telephone network by the wireless communication device in response to the receipt by the wireless communication device of the hotspot capabilities, and in response to the received access authorization:
• permitting access to the wireless hotspot for the wireless communication device without a handover of communication with the wireless communication device from the wireless telephone network.

A device comprising:

• circuitry configured to:
• initiate communication over a wireless telephone network;
• once within communication range of a particular wireless hotspot, receive an advertisement communication from the particular wireless hotspot, the advertisement communication including information about the particular wireless hotspot which is useable to access the particular wireless hotspot;
• and
• after receiving the advertisement communication from the particular wireless hotspot:
• obtain an access path selection for sending a request to access the particular wireless hotspot, the access path selection comprising a hotspot login path or a wireless telephone provider path;
• and
• when the access path selection is the hotspot login path:
• send the request to access the particular wireless hotspot across the particular wireless hotspot to an access point for the particular wireless hotspot for communication to an authenticating entity for a wireless telephone provider;
• and
• when the access path selection is the wireless telephone provider path:
• send the request to access the particular wireless hotspot through a wireless telephone network that operates independently of the particular wireless hotspot, and to the authenticating entity for the wireless telephone provider;
• and
• communicate network data through the wireless hotspot when the request to access the particular wireless hotspot is granted, without handing over the communication between the device and the wireless telephone network.