Patent ID: 8086235

Claim:
A method for controlling the mobility of a mobile station on a wireless network, the method comprising: using a processor to: retrieve a network mobility preference, the network mobility preference indicating a level of mobility service for the mobile station, the level of mobility service being selected from a group of mobility services that includes a fully restricted mobility indicating rejection of all handoff requests and a partially restricted mobility indicating the extent to which the mobile station can handoff among base stations of the wireless network, the extent to which the mobile station can handoff among base stations for a partially restricted mobility service being based at least in part on a network load; establish a level of mobility service for the mobile station based on the network mobility preference; receive a ranging request for reentry from the mobile station, the mobile station being identified by the processor; and in response to the ranging request, generate a ranging response message in a reactive handoff process to cause the identified mobile station to perform a full network reentry to establish connectivity in the wireless network.