Patent ID: 7200398

Claim:
An apparatus for executing a handover in a wireless environment, comprising: a mobile station operable to receive and to recognize a handover command message at a physical layer of a mobile station for initiating a handover execution, the handover command message being communicated by a mobile network that is coupled to the mobile station, the physical layer of the mobile station responding to the handover command message by communicating with a data link layer and a radio resource management (RRM) layer of the mobile station such that the RRM layer suspends its non-handover signaling, by tuning to a handed to frequency, and by communicating physical layer bursts over the handed to frequency to the mobile network such that initial timing advance and power control setting characteristics are determined by the mobile network, wherein the physical layer corresponds to layer one communications, the data link layer corresponds to layer two communications, and the RRM layer corresponds to layer three communications, the mobile station is also operable to receive a cease signal that indicates to the mobile station to stop communicating the physical layer bursts, the mobile station operable to respond to the cease signal by ending a transmission of the physical layer bursts and to establish a new communications link over the handed to frequency with the mobile network, and wherein once the new communications link is established the mobile station and the mobile network can couple to a voice path such that a wireless communication associated with the mobile station and the mobile network is facilitated.