Selectable packet-switched and circuit-switched services in a mobile communications network

"PROCESS TO PROVIDE SERVICES SWITCHED BY CIRCUIT (CS) AND SWITCHED BY PACKAGE (PS) IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, PROCESS IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, AND, MOBILE TERMINAL FOR USE IN THE MONTH ". Applications running on a mobile station or on an external network entity such as an Internet service provider may specify a requested quality of service on an individual application flow basis. Based on that requested quality of service, an ideal type of carrier to transfer the application flow through the mobile communications network is determined. For example, a circuit-switched carrier can be allocated if the request is for a real-time service, and a packet-switched carrier can be allocated if the request is for a non-real-time service type. Several other decision-making criteria can be employed. A mobile station and a mobile network port node each includes a mapper to map an individual application flow to one of the circuit-switched and packet-switched network carriers depending on the quality of service requested for the individual application flow . The network layer quality of service parameters corresponding to an individual application flow are mapped to circuit-switched carrier parameters if the application flow is mapped to the circuit-switched network and to packet-switched carrier parameters if the flow application is mapped to the packet-switched network. The port node includes a common access server that allows a mobile station to initially establish a communication session with an external network entity to perform only a single common access process for subsequent communications using one of the circuit switched and switched networks. package. After that common access process is completed, subsequent application flows between the mobile station and the external network entity are established using abbreviated processes without having to access the external network entity.