Patent ID: 8504017

Claim:
A method of using a user terminal, the method comprising: detecting a preference of the user terminal for a predetermined service, wherein the user terminal is currently connected to a first public land mobile network, PLMN, at a current location of the user terminal via a first radio access technology, RAT; detecting that the first RAT does not provide the predetermined service; monitoring whether or not another PLMN or another RAT of the first PLMN is available; if, based on the monitoring, it is detected that another PLMN or another RAT of the first PLMN is available, considering the first RAT of the first PLMN as disabled due to lack of the predetermined service from the first RAT, and generating an information element to a memory according to which the first RAT of the first PLMN has been marked as disabled, wherein the information element is valid until a predetermined criterion is met and at least beyond a point of time when the user terminal switches to another PLMN and/or to another RAT, and wherein the information element while valid is usable to avoid selecting to connect back to the first PLMN via the first RAT, upon detecting that a second PLMN different than the first PLMN is available, registering to the second PLMN; and while being registered to the second PLMN, performing a background scan of available PLMNs for selecting a higher priority PLMN to attempt registration to, wherein the selection is at least partially based on the valid information element.