Mobile internet access

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate the above noted disadvantages.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide for the secure transmission of security keys, for use in mobile internet access, between a mobile host and a home network of the mobile host, particularly when the mobile host is registered with a foreign network.
These and other objects are met by sending security keys, from a mobile host's home network to the mobile host, using a point-to-point packet switched service of a cellular radio telephone network.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of communicating data between a mobile host and a remote station over the internet, where both the mobile host and the remote station are registered with the same or different cellular radio telephone networks, the method comprising the steps of: sending a security key, from the remote station to the mobile host, over the cellular radio telephone network(s) using a point-to-point packet switched service of the network(s); receiving said security key at the mobile host, and using the received key to ensure the security of subsequent data transmissions between the mobile host and the remote station over the internet.
The present invention avoids the use of the internet to distribute a security key to a mobile terminal.
Furthermore, distribution is achieved using a cellular radio telephone network messaging service which is inherently more secure than the internet.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the remote station is connected to a Local Area Network (LAN), the LAN being connected to the internet.
The LAN is assigned as the home network of the mobile host, such that said remote terminal is the home agent of the mobile host.
In accordance with mobile internet protocol (Mobile IP), when the mobile host is registered with a cellular radio telephone network which provides access for the mobile host to the internet, a care-of-address is sent from the mobile host to the home agent over the internet