Patent ID: 8244248

Claim:
A method comprising: establishing, by a decision unit, a decision to perform a vertical handover of a wireless, apparatus from a current access network to a target access network that is different from the current access network; further deciding, by the decision unit, to perform the vertical handover from the current access network to the target access network via at least one intermediate access network; further deciding, by the decision unit, that the vertical handover from the current access network to the target access network is to be performed in a seamless manner by first performing a seamless vertical handover from the current access network to the at least one intermediate access network; and subsequently performing a seamless vertical handover from the at least one intermediate access network to the target access network, wherein the current access network, the target access network and the at least one intermediate access network are configured to provide wireless devices with access to services via wireless interfaces comprised therein; further deciding, by the decision unit, that the at least one intermediate access network is used for waiting when the wireless apparatus sees the target access network but access to the target access network is temporarily unavailable; performing the vertical handover of the wireless apparatus seamlessly by activating a connection with the at least one intermediate access network, wherein data sent via the connection with the at least one intermediate access network is not transmitted via the current access network or the target access network; checking the characteristics of the target network while being in the at least one intermediate network; and making a final decision whether to perform handover from the at least one intermediate network to the target access network only after the characteristics of the target network have been checked.