Abstract: A method and a central subscriber database are provided for performing a permission status check in a mobile network. A mobile station is identified using subscription related identification data and equipment based identification data. When a determination is made that current subscription related identification data and current equipment based identification data have not been previously correlated a validation procedure is performed.

Abstract: A serving GPRS support node in a packet-switched portion of a communication network is registered in a mobile switching center (MSC) node in a circuit-switched portion of the network as a “virtual” circuit-switched node, in particular a base station controller of the like, instead of as an SGSN. The virtual BSC has one virtual cell with a unique Location-Area identity that is included in the search area used by the MSC when the MSC tries to locate a remote terminal that fails to reply to a paging message. Paging messages for such a remote terminal exchanging packets in a packet-switched portion of a communication network are broadcast in a cell on a common (circuit-switched) control channel and may also be included in a packet data stream sent directly to the terminal. The result is the same as if the circuit-switched and packet-switched portions of the network have combined procedures for mobility management, even if they do not.