Importance

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Abstract

In telecommunications systems, the traffic can be protected from eavesdropping and the use of a false identity can be prevented by verifying the authenticity of the terminal equipment by means of an authentication procedure. Verifying the authenticity of the terminal equipment is especially important in the mobile communications systems. In the authentication procedure, the network checks the authenticity of the identity stated by the subscriber device. Additionally, the subscriber device can check the authenticity of the network identity. In the systems in accordance with prior art, the secret information required for making the authentication must be transferred via unsecure transfer networks and given to the visited networks. The information makes it possible to make unlimited number of authentications in an unlimited time. In this case, an active eavesdropper may be able to acquire the information and make the authentication process without forming a connection to the subscriber's authentication centre. The invention presents a method in which each individual authentication process is done between the mobile station and the authentication center. This means that the reliability of the network is checked in connection with every authentication, and not enough information is transferred between the network elements to make it possible to use a false identity.

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First Claim