Patent ID: 8359033

Claim:
A method of supporting packet-switched handover of a mobile station (MS) from a first cell compatible with a first network to a Generic Access Network (GAN) cell compatible and located within a GAN, the method comprising the steps of: determining if the MS is within coverage of the GAN cell; registering the MS within the GAN, wherein the registering further comprises creating a MS context and identifying the MS context with an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) associated with the MS; triggering initiation of the packet-switched handover from the first cell to the GAN cell; conducting a preparation phase for executing the packet-switched handover, wherein the step of conducting the preparation phase for executing the packet-switched handover includes identifying the MS context, based on the IMSI associated with the MS, that relates to a packet-switched (PS) Handover preparation phase request sent by the MS and activating a Generic Access-Packet-switched Resources (GA-PSR) Transport Channel from the GAN cell towards the MS; switching by the MS to a GAN mode; and transferring packets via the GAN cell.