Content control in telecommunications networks

Abstract

A telecommunications network including: a mobile device (); a home network () with which the mobile device () user has a subscription including content preferences, the home network () including a content preference store () for storing the content preferences, a policy provisioning server () for indicating content preferences to mobile device () and home authenticating means () for performing authentication of the mobile device (); and a further network () having at least one access point () with which the mobile device () can temporarily communicate and further authenticating means () for controlling registration of the mobile device () with the access point (); wherein: the further authentication means () is operable to communicate with the home authentication means () to perform an authentication process for the mobile device () when the mobile device () connects to the access point (), which authentication process accesses data from the content preference store () storing the user content preferences, determines if the further network () can satisfy the content preferences, and controls registration of the mobile device () with the access point () in dependence upon whether the further network () can satisfy the content preferences of the user. The mobile device () may include a store () for storing the user content preferences provisioned by a policy server (), and registration control means () operable to generate a content query to the further network (), and to analyze a response to the content query so as to determine if the further network () can satisfy the content preferences and to enable registration with the access point () in dependence thereon.