Abstract: A method allows the selection of a user-preferred visited mobile network for a roaming mobile terminal of a subscriber of a home network. The method includes, at the home network, the steps of receiving information on the location of the roaming mobile terminal, and receiving from the roaming mobile terminal service information including at least a choice of a service and controlling the selection of the visited mobile network for the roaming mobile terminal on the basis of the received service information and location information.

Abstract: Communication method between a first terminal and a second terminal on a communications network includes establishing a first connection between the terminals, the first connection being of a first media type at the first terminal and of a multimedia type at the second terminal; establishing a second connection between a repository apparatus and the second terminal, the second connection being coupled to the first connection and being of a second media type at the repository apparatus different from the first media type; said multimedia type including the first and the second media types; disabling the second connection after a request for a third connection between the terminals, the third connection being of the second media type at the first terminal; and establishing the third connection, the first and third connections forming a combinational session at the first terminal and a multimedia type connection at the second terminal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for efficiently accessing and downloading web pages on high-latency communication networks are provided. After a user requests a web page, the web page is retrieved from a web server, image portions of the web page are separated from non-image portions, and an image-free web page comprising the non-image portions of the original web page is prepared such that the images of the original web page are replaced in the image-free web page by correspondingly sized and positioned placeholders. Additionally, an image including the non-image portions of the original web page is created such that the non-image portions are made transparent, and the original images are grouped into a single composite image while maintaining their positions and sizes. The image-free page and the image are then superimposed to form an optimised web page suitable for downloading to a user.

Abstract: Communication method between a first terminal and a second terminal on a communications network includes establishing a first connection between the terminals, the first connection being of a first media type at the first terminal and of a multimedia type at the second terminal; establishing a second connection between a repository apparatus and the second terminal, the second connection being coupled to the first connection and being of a second media type at the repository apparatus different from the first media type; said multimedia type including the first and the second media types; disabling the second connection after a request for a third connection between the terminals, the third connection being of the second media type at the first terminal; and establishing the third connection, the first and third connections forming a combinational session at the first terminal and a multimedia type connection at the second terminal.

Abstract: A method allows the selection of a user-preferred visited mobile network for a roaming mobile terminal of a subscriber of a home network. The method includes, at the home network, the steps of receiving information on the location of the roaming mobile terminal, and receiving from the roaming mobile terminal service information including at least a choice of a service and controlling the selection of the visited mobile network for the roaming mobile terminal on the basis of the received service information and location information.

Abstract: A method of optimising web page access and speeding up web page download through high-latency communications networks, such as mobile communications networks. When a user requests a web page, such page is retrieved from a web server and the image and non-image portions of the original web page are separated. Then, there are prepared an image-free web page including the non-image portions of the original page and having the images replaced by correspondingly sized and positioned placeholders, and an image in which the non-image portions are made transparent and the original images are grouped into a single composite image, while keeping their positions and their sizes. The image-free page and the image page are superimposed to form an optimised web page having the same appearance as the original one, which is downloaded to the user.

Abstract: Download performance parameters of web pages accessible via a network are evaluated by providing at least one model for predicting a set of download performance parameters for the web pages as a function of a respective set of input parameters. The at least one model includes at least one optimisation parameter. A set of sample web pages is defined and the set of download performance parameters for the sample web pages are both measured and evaluated on the basis of the model for different values of the at least one optimisation parameter. An error indicative of the difference between the download performance parameters for the sample web pages as measured and as evaluated on the basis of the model, respectively, is defined and an optimised model is selected including a value of the least one optimisation parameter minimising the error or reducing it below a predetermined value.