Cellular wireless communications systems are designed to serve multiple wireless-enabled devices distributed over a large geographic area by dividing the area into regions called cells or cell areas. Within each cell area, a network-side access device (e.g., an access point) is located to serve client devices, commonly referred to as access terminals (ATs), that are located in the cell area. An AT generally establishes a call, also referred to as a communication session, with a wireless access point to communicate with other entities (e.g., servers) in the network.
Wireless access points may serve smaller areas and have limited access. Access points of this type include private access points, which may serve users in a home or business only. In a private access point, the owner of the access point decides who has access to the wireless access point for communication. Others are blocked from access.
To this end, wireless access points, including private access points, may employ what is referred to as closed access control. Closed access control, in general, means limiting use of an access point in some fashion. In some cases, closed access control may rely on identifiers associated with the mobile device hardware.
In some geographic markets, such as regions of Asia, users are permitted, without consent of their wireless carrier (i.e., operator), to swap User Identity Module (UIM) cards between different mobile devices (or other type of AT). Operators in these markets typically do not store information regarding hardware identifiers for mobile devices. Accordingly, closed access control has to rely on a user identifier, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is stored in a UIM card.