A GATEWAY UNIT

摘要

A gateway unit (90) which provides interoperability between disparate mobile communication networks by providing the necessary protocol conversions between the different mobile networks. The gateway unit can be a stand-alone unit or co-located with a mobile switching center (MSC 33) within North America or in a foreign country. In either case, the gateway unit serves as an interconnection point between two or more networks and comprises the elements of a processor, software, and memory. All of which could be provided on a circuit board or in a conventional personal computer. Preferably the conversions are performed through the use of a series of look-up tables stored in memory. Once the incoming messages received (37) from a first communications network have been converted, they are subsequently forwarded (69) to their destination in the second communications network.