Patent ID: 8306534

Claim:
A method of indicating the availability of services to a wireless communications device, comprising the steps of: receiving service indications of availability of communication services from a wireless cellular network and a wireless local area network, via wireless non-traffic channels of the wireless cellular network and the wireless local area network without opening traffic channels of the wireless cellular network and the wireless local area network; when service from the wireless local area network is available to the wireless communications device, issuing a service information request to the wireless local area network over the wireless non-traffic channel of the wireless local area network; when service from both the wireless local area network and the wireless cellular network are available to the wireless communications device issuing the service information request to the wireless local area network over the wireless non-traffic channel of the wireless local area network; when service from only the wireless cellular network is available to the wireless communications device, issuing the service information request to the wireless cellular network over the wireless non-traffic channel of the wireless cellular network; and generating a user-indication of availability of communication services from the wireless cellular network and the wireless local area network on the wireless communications device.