Patent ID: 8634380

Claim:
A method, performed by a base station, of facilitating handover of a user device between the base station when operating as a source base station component in a first communications network of a first network type and a target base station component in a second communications network of a second network type, the method comprising: receiving, from a user device, a global cell identifier of a cell in the second communications network, wherein information for forming a Location Area Identification (LAI) can be obtained from the global cell identifier, and an identifier for use in identifying a target gateway component operating within a location area represented by said Location Area Identification (LAI) and associated with the neighbor base station component; generating a handover request message in the first communications network, for handing over to said neighbor base station component operating as said target base station component, the handover request message incorporating the identifier for use in identifying the target gateway component and said Location Area Identification; and transmitting the handover request message to facilitate said handover to the second communications network.