Method and apparatus for storing and distributing encryption keys

摘要

A method of key distribution involving:
storing, at a home location register, key material related to mobile stations associated with the home location register;
storing, at a first visited location register associated with a first site in a first zone, 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, encrypting the key material related to the first mobile station 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; and
forwarding the encrypted key material to the second visited location register.