METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISTRIBUTING ENCRYPTION KEYS

摘要

A home location register stores key material related to mobile stations associated with the home location register. A first visited location register associated with a first site in a first zone stores key material related to a first mobile station of the mobile stations associated with the home location register. When the first mobile station roams to a second site in a second zone associated with a second visited location register, the key material related to the first mobile station is encrypted with an interkey, yielding encrypted key material, wherein the interkey is used only by infrastructure system devices other than a mobile station for encrypting at least the key material for transport between at least the first and second zones. The encrypted key material is forwarded to the second visited location register.