Patent ID: 8219086

Claim:
A cellular communications system, comprising: at least one of each of a femtocell base station (BS) and an overlay macro BS, each of which includes a processing coupled to a memory, a wireless subsystem, and a network subsystem for communicating over a backhaul link to a core portion of a service provider's network; at least one mobile station (MS) that includes a processing device coupled to a memory and a wireless subsystem, wherein the MS is to access one or more femtocell or macro BS's in order to communicate over the cellular network; wherein the femtocell BS is to operate in a low-duty mode (LDM) that includes alternating available and unavailable intervals for its wireless subsystem; and, wherein the macro BS is to, if the MS is unsuccessful in attaching to the femtocell BS during network entry, network re-entry, or an uncontrolled handover into the femtocell of the femtocell BS due to the femtocell BS being in an unavailable interval while the MS is scanning for the femtocell BS and attaches to the macro BS instead, transmit a message that triggers the MS to repeat scanning for the femtocell BS.