A method for establishing a radio resource control connection between a user equipment and a serving radio network controller through a drift radio network controller, the method comprising: receiving, at the drift network controller after a failure condition at the serving radio network controller, an indication of a forward access channel capability of the user equipment from the serving radio network controller; determining, independent of forward access capability information received from the user equipment, whether the user equipment supports an enhanced forward access channel based on the indication of the forward access channel capability of the user equipment from the serving radio network controller; re-establishing, by the drift radio network controller, the radio resource control connection between the user equipment and the serving radio network controller through the drift radio network controller by transmitting a Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only the enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment supports the enhanced forward access channel, and transmitting the Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only a non-enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment does not support the enhanced forward access channel; wherein the indication of the forward access channel capability is included in a Radio Network Subsystem Application Part - RNSAP- message from the serving radio network controller; and wherein the Cell Update Confirm message is transmitted to the user equipment via a common control radio channel receiving, at the drift network controller after a failure condition at the serving radio network controller, an indication of a forward access channel capability of the user equipment from the serving radio network controller; determining, independent of forward access capability information received from the user equipment, whether the user equipment supports an enhanced forward access channel based on the indication of the forward access channel capability of the user equipment from the serving radio network controller; re-establishing, by the drift radio network controller, the radio resource control connection between the user equipment and the serving radio network controller through the drift radio network controller by transmitting a Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only the enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment supports the enhanced forward access channel, and transmitting the Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only a non-enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment does not support the enhanced forward access channel; transmitting a Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only the enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment supports the enhanced forward access channel, and transmitting the Cell Update Confirm message to the user equipment via only a non-enhanced forward access channel if the determining step determines that the user equipment does not support the enhanced forward access channel; wherein the indication of the forward access channel capability is included in a Radio Network Subsystem Application Part - RNSAP- message from the serving radio network controller; and wherein the Cell Update Confirm message is transmitted to the user equipment via a common control radio channel