Patent ID: 8504021

Claim:
A method of operating a wireless communication device, the method comprising: in the wireless communication device, exchanging wireless communications with a first wireless communication network and monitoring communication performance of the first wireless communication network while operating in a non-roaming mode to determine communication performance problems of the first wireless communication network; in the wireless communication device, processing a preferred roaming list to perform scans for at least a pilot signal from a second wireless communication network while operating in the non-roaming mode to determine pilot signal strength of the second wireless communication network, wherein the wireless communication device does not exchange wireless communications with the second wireless communication network while operating in the non-roaming mode; in the wireless communication device, performing a time correlation of the communication performance problems of the first wireless communication network and the pilot signal strength of the second wireless communication network to identify a quantity of the communication performance problems that correlate in time to adequate pilot signal strength on the second wireless communication network to determine that a roaming mode should be entered, and in response, entering the roaming mode; in the wireless communication device, exchanging wireless communications with the second wireless communication network while operating in the roaming mode.