Patent ID: 7359709

Claim:
A method for performing a soft handoff, comprising: establishing a first control channel link via a network between a first base station controller (BSC) and a first base transceiver station (BTS), the first control channel link enabling the first BSC to control operation of the first BTS; establishing a second control channel link via the network between a second BSC and a second BTS, the second control channel link enabling the second BSC to control operation of the second BTS; establishing a call in the system under control of the first BSC; while continuing to conduct the call, conveying an indication to the first BSC that a mobile station (MS) has received a signal from the second BTS; in response to the indication, conveying a call transfer control trigger from the first BSC to the second BTS via the network; and in response to receiving the call transfer control trigger at the second BTS, directing further traffic associated with the call between the MS, the second BTS, and the first BSC, without conveying the further traffic through the second BSC.