APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING QUALITY OF SERVICE LEVEL IN BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

摘要

An access terminal (102) having user applications (128, 130, 134) identified by product keys that are used to determine a QoS level granted to invoked user applications for the establishment of connections by an access network (104). The access terminal invokes the user applications, identifies the product key (135) of the invoked user applications and determines a quality of service (QoS) level to which the invoked user applications are to be granted based upon the identified product key. The user applications may be formed into preferred (128) and non-preferred (130, 134) categories with preferred user applications generally having a higher QoS level than the non-preferred user applications. Access network connections using a high QoS level are established from the preferred user applications to preferred servers of the access network. Connections from the non-preferred user applications are extended using a lower QoS level by the access network to servers of a public data network (106). The access terminal stores a secret key (106) and that identifies the access terminal.