Methods and apparatus for use in a generic bootstrapping architecture

A method of obtaining authentication information for use in a Generic Bootstrapping Architecture, GBA, employed in a network with one or more GBA-capable subscriber registers and one or more GBA-incapable subscriber registers, the method comprising:

• at a Bootstrapping Server Function, upon receipt of a bootstrapping request from a subscriber terminal, sending an authentication request for authentication information including an identity of a subscriber to a selection function;
• at the selection function, determining if the authentication information of the subscriber is stored at one of the one or more GBA-capable subscriber registers or at one of the one or more GBA-incapable subscriber registers;
• if it is determined that the authentication information of the subscriber is stored at one of the one or more GBA-incapable subscriber registers, communicating the authentication request to an inter working function;
• and
• at the inter working function, sending a Mobile Application Part, MAP, protocol message corresponding to the authentication request towards the GBA-incapable subscriber register, receiving a MAP response from the GBA-incapable subscriber register, and sending an authentication response corresponding to the received MAP response to the Bootstrapping Server Function;
• wherein the selection function is provided by either of a Subscriber Locator Function and one of the one or more GBA-capable subscriber registers, and the inter working function is provided by either of the Subscriber Locator Function and one of the one or more GBA-capable subscriber registers.