Patent ID: 8422431

Claim:
A mobile node capable of communications with a selected network of a plurality of networks, the mobile node comprising: a channel listing that maintains identification of channels that are to be monitored for broadcast of network system information messages, the network system information messages each including network system information, which identifies a supported communication service supported by a network from which the system information message is broadcast; a detector that detects, prior to mobile-node registration, a system information message on an identified monitored channel from one of the plurality of networks and that detects, prior to mobile-node registration, values representative of the availability of the supported communication service from the network broadcasting on its associated channel; a service availability identifier that ascertains, prior to mobile-node registration, from said values detected by said detector whether said one of the plurality of networks supports a desired communication service and that permits, prior to mobile-node registration a subsequent selection of said one network and subsequent registration with said one network by the mobile node for communication of messages via said desired communication service when said one network is ascertained to support said desired communication service; and a selector that selects whether to cause the mobile node to register with said one network in response to said service availability identifier permitting registration with said one network.