A method for a radiotelephone to search for higher priority networks

• Main Author: RAGHURAM SHARADA
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 27.08.2008
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

A method for a radiotelephone to search for a high priority, home, or home-equivalent public land mobile network (PLMN) includes a first step of registering and camping (300) the radiotelephone on a cell of visited PLMN. A next step includes uniquely identifying (302) the cell. A next step includes searching (304) for PLMNs with a higher priority than the visited PLMN while registered and camped on the uniquely identified cell. A next step includes storing (306) a history of those frequencies found that are not of a higher priority PLMN for the uniquely identified cell. Any subsequent searches for frequencies of higher priority PLMNs performed while registered and camped on that cell includes scanning (308) for available frequencies except for those frequencies listed in the history for the uniquely identified cell in which the radiotelephone is registered and camped.