US Patent 9930613 Connecting IMSI-less devices to the EPC

Capillary network devices (i.e., IMSI-less devices) may connect to an EPC through a home WLAN. A WLAN can be configured by the homeowner to accept responsibility for the traffic or a WLAN can indicate to a network that it will allow the traffic if the traffic is sponsored by an application server or if it is compensated for the traffic by the network operator. Where an IMSI-less device has a business relationship with a network operator, a WLAN can allow the device to authenticate with the network and obtain a device identifier from the network. Where an IMSI-less device has a business relationship with a SCS that has a business relationship with the network operator, the WLAN can allow the device to authenticate with the network.