Patent ID: 6934539

Claim:
A method for use in a wireless communications system including at least one base station and one or more wireless terminals for identifying whether a particular wireless terminal is reachable within a base station cell coverage area, the method being performed in a wireless terminal and comprising the steps of: entering a monitoring mode to monitor a received paging time slot assigned to said particular wireless terminal for a timing control order; in response to detecting a received timing control order for said particular wireless terminal, transmitting a timing control signal in a prescribed timing control time slot; storing an identity of a timing control order that said particular wireless terminal is to receive and a predetermined time that said prescribed timing control signal is to be transmitted by said particular wireless terminal; if no timing control order is detected, entering a standby mode, and entering said monitoring mode at a prescribed time; and if a terminate order is detected in said monitoring mode, then disconnecting from said base station, wherein said particular wireless terminal knows a priori said timing control signal and a prescribed time that said timing control signal will be transmitted by said particular wireless terminal.