Patent ID: 8718649

Claim:
An apparatus for expanded cell search and selection in a wireless communication network, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a wireless interface in data communication with the processor; and logic in data communication with the processor, the logic configured to: identify one or more cells in a broadcasted first list of neighbor cells, comprising cells that use a first radio access technology and cells that use a second radio access technology, and in a stored second list of cells, comprising previously known cells that are not broadcast in the broadcasted first list of neighbor cells; evaluate the identified one or more cells using suitability criteria; when unable to identify any suitable cells that use the first radio access technology in the broadcasted first list of neighbor cells, prioritize a suitable first cell that uses the first radio access technology in the stored second list of cells over a suitable second cell that uses the second radio access technology in the broadcasted first list of neighbor cells; and select a highest priority cell based on the evaluated suitability criteria.