Patent ID: 6970438

Claim:
A method of improving downlink packet switching for use in a mobile telecommunications network having a plurality of base stations capable of communicating in corresponding uplink and downlink with a plurality of mobile terminals operating a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, wherein a downlink shared channel (DSCH) is used to carry user data to the mobile terminals, and wherein the mobile terminals are capable of operating in a forward access channel (cell_FACH) state and a dedicated channel (cell_DCH) state and wherein the mobile terminals are also capable of state-switching between the cell_FACH state and the cell_DCH state for setting up an associated dedicated channel (aDCH) for carrying physical control information between the mobile terminals and the base stations in DSCH scheduling for downlink packet switching, said method comprising the steps of: selecting, by a communicating base station, a mobile terminal among said plurality of mobile terminals for transmission of a defined down link shared channel (DSCH); and providing a message in a forward access channel (FACH) to the selected mobile mobile indicative of an operation mode using a further transportation channel different from the aDCH for carrying the physical control information between the selected mobile terminal and said communicating base station for avoiding the state-switching during the downlink packet switching, wherein the further transportation channel comprises a common uplink packet channel specified for said operation mode.