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The present invention is directed to a method, a switching server, a terminal device and system for providing circuit switched calls and services to terminal devices connected to a switching server via an IP Multimedia Subsystem. The method comprises a step of providing (S120) a first interworking e

The present invention is directed to a method, a switching server, a terminal device and system for providing circuit switched calls and services to terminal devices connected to a switching server via an IP Multimedia Subsystem. The method comprises a step of providing (S120) a first interworking entity (330) in the terminal device (300) for interworking between circuit switched signalling messages and signalling messages related to packet switched sessions towards the IMS (30). The method further comprises providing (S130) a second interworking entity (230) in the switching server (200) towards the IMS (30). The terminal device (300) is thus capable of accessing circuit switched calls and services directly from the switching server (200).

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1. A method implemented by a terminal device connected to a switching server via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for being provided one or both of circuit-switched calls and services over a packet-switched session, wherein the switching server comprises an access call control entity

1. A method implemented by a terminal device connected to a switching server via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for being provided one or both of circuit-switched calls and services over a packet-switched session, wherein the switching server comprises an access call control entity configured to handle circuit-switched signaling messages for providing one or both of circuit-switched calls and services over circuit-switched connections to terminal devices connected to the switching server via one or more circuit-switched access systems, the method comprising: using circuit-switched signaling messages at a service-providing entity of the terminal device for one or both of said circuit-switched calls and services, wherein the circuit-switched signaling messages conform to a protocol for being provided said calls and services over a circuit-switched connection towards said access call control entity;interworking, at a first interworking entity comprised within the terminal device, between said circuit-switched signaling messages and signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions via the IMS, inversely to a second interworking entity at the switching center;establishing a packet-switched session between the first interworking entity at the terminal device and the second interworking entity at the switching server;exchanging circuit-switched signaling messages between the terminal device and the access call control entity of the switching center over the established packet-switched session, via said first and second interworking entities. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the circuit-switched signaling messages comprise one or both of location update messages and mobility management messages. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said interworking comprises mapping circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the access call control entity to corresponding signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and mapping signaling messages received from the second interworking entity to corresponding circuit-switched signaling messages. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said interworking comprises encapsulating circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the access call control entity within signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and decapsulating signaling messages received from the second interworking entity to obtain circuit-switched signaling messages encapsulated therein. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said signaling messages for packet-switched sessions conform to one or both of the Session Initiation Protocol and the Session Initiation Protocol with encapsulated ISDN User Part. 6. A method implemented by a switching server for providing over a packet-switched session one or both of circuit-switched calls and services to a terminal device connected to the switching server via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the method comprising: using circuit-switched signaling messages at an access call control entity of the switching server, wherein the circuit-switched signaling messages conform to a protocol for providing said calls and services over a circuit-switched connection towards a service providing entity of the terminal device;interworking, at a second interworking entity comprised within the switching server, between said circuit-switched signaling messages and signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions via the IMS, inversely to a first interworking entity at the terminal device;establishing a packet-switched session between the second interworking entity at the switching center and the first interworking entity at the terminal device;exchanging circuit-switched signaling messages between the switching center and the service providing entity of the terminal device over the established packet-switched session, via said first and second interworking entities. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the circuit-switched signaling messages comprise one or both of location update messages and mobility management messages. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said interworking comprises mapping circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the service providing entity to corresponding signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and mapping signaling messages received from the first interworking entity to corresponding circuit-switched signaling messages. 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said interworking comprises encapsulating circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the service providing entity within signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and decapsulating signaling messages received from the first interworking entity to obtain circuit-switched signaling messages encapsulated therein. 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said signaling messages for packet-switched sessions conform to one or both of the Session Initiation Protocol and the Session Initiation Protocol with encapsulated ISDN User Part. 11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the switching server comprises one or both of a mobile switching center server and a wireline telephony switching server. 12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the switching server comprises a soft switch. 13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the one or more circuit-switched access systems comprise one or more among GSM, UMTS, LTE, POTS and ISDN. 14. The method according to claim 6, further comprising applying predetermined control routines to one or both circuit-switched calls and services controlled through one or more circuit-switched access systems, and also applying said predetermined control routines to one or both circuit-switched calls and circuit-switched services controlled via one or both of said first interworking entity and said second interworking entity. 15. The method according to claim 6, further comprising interworking between user network interface circuit-switched signaling messages towards said access call control entity and user network interface signaling messages for packet-switched sessions towards said IMS. 16. A switching server configured to provide over a packet-switched session one or both of circuit-switched calls and services to a terminal device connected to the switching server via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the switching server comprising: networking hardware configured to operate as: an access call control entity that comprises a network side for interworking with other communication networks, and a signaling entity configured to exchange, through an access side, circuit-switched signaling messages related to circuit-switched connections with terminal devices communicating via one or more circuit-switched access systems, wherein the access call control entity is configured to handle one or both of circuit-switched calls and services provided over said circuit-switched connections to said terminal devices via said signaling entity; andan interfacing entity configured to: interface between said access side of said signaling entity and a terminal device connected to the switching server via said IMS;establish a packet-switched session between a second interworking entity at the switching center and a first interworking entity at the terminal device;the second interworking entity configured to: interwork between circuit-switched signaling messages for circuit-switched connections related to said signaling entity and signaling messages for packet-switched sessions related to said terminal connected to the switching server via said IMS, inversely to the first interworking entity at the terminal device;exchange circuit-switched signaling messages between the switching center and the terminal device over the established packet-switched session, via the second and first interworking entities. 17. The switching server of claim 16: wherein said access call control entity is configured for call control communication with terminal devices in accordance with one or more access control protocols associated with said one or more circuit-switched access systems;wherein said circuit-switched signaling messages, for which said second interworking entity is configured to interwork, conform to at least one of said one or more access control protocols. 18. The switching server of claim 17, wherein said one or more access control protocols comprise one or more of: Direct Transfer Application sub-Part protocol;Radio Access Network Application Part protocol;Base Station System Management Application sub-Part protocol; andISDN User Part protocol. 19. The switching server of claim 16, wherein the circuit-switched signaling messages exchanged through the access side of the signaling entity comprise one or both of location update messages and mobility management messages. 20. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said second interworking entity is configured to interwork between user network interface circuit-switched signaling messages related to said signaling entity and user network interface signaling messages for packet-switched sessions related to said terminal device. 21. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said second interworking entity is configured to interwork by mapping circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the terminal device to corresponding signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and mapping signaling messages received from the terminal device to corresponding circuit-switched signaling messages. 22. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said second interworking entity is configured to interwork by encapsulating circuit-switched signaling messages destined for the terminal device within signaling messages that conform to a protocol for packet-switched sessions, and decapsulating signaling messages received from the terminal device to obtain circuit-switched signaling messages encapsulated therein. 23. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said signaling messages for packet-switched sessions conform to one or both of the Session Initiation Protocol and the Session Initiation Protocol with encapsulated ISDN User Part. 24. The switching server of claim 16, comprising one or both of a mobile switching center server and a wireline telephony switching server. 25. The switching server of claim 16, comprising a soft switch. 26. The switching server of claim 16, wherein the circuit-switching access systems comprise one or more among GSM, UMTS, LTE, POTS and ISDN. 27. The switching server of claim 16, wherein the network side of the access call control entity is configured to interwork with one or both of circuit-switched signaling messages for circuit-switched connections and signaling sessions for packet-switched connections of other communication networks on a network to network interface. 28. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said access call control entity is configured to apply predetermined control routines to: one or both among circuit-switched calls and circuit-switched services controlled through said one or more access systems; andone or both among circuit-switched calls and circuit-switched services controlled via said interfacing entity. 29. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said access call control entity is configured to handle packet-switched voice communications via said interfacing entity. 30. The switching server of claim 16, wherein said one or more circuit-switched services include a text message service. 31. A terminal device configured to connect to a switching center via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for being provided one or both of circuit-switched calls and services over a packet-switched session, the terminal device comprising: networking hardware configured to: use circuit-switched signaling messages related to circuit-switched connections for one or both of said circuit-switched calls and services;terminate signaling messages related to packet-switched sessions via the IMS; andinterwork, at a first interworking entity comprised within the terminal device, between the circuit-switched signaling messages and the signaling messages related to packet-switched sessions, inversely to a second interworking entity at the switching center;establish a packet-switched session between the first interworking entity at the terminal device and the second interworking entity at the switching center;exchange circuit-switched signaling messages between the terminal device and the switching center over the established packet-switched session, via the first and second interworking entities.