Abstract: Disclosed herein is the method of operating a cellular mobile station to identify a suitable cellular control channel for entering a camping state with a highest priority cellular service provider, based on data stored in the cellular mobile station, that is preferred to a current cellular control channel the mobile station is camping on. The method comprising the steps of: (a) measuring received signal strength of a plurality of available cellular control channels; (b) attempting to lock onto the available cellular control channels having highest signal strength; (c) determining if a locked onto cellular control channel is a highest priority cellular control channel and, if so, then camping on that cellular control channel, and otherwise returning to camping on the current control channel; and (d) periodically interrupting any of steps (a)-(c) to receive control data from the current cellular control channel and then returning to the interrupted step.

Abstract: In connection with paging displacement operation, a mobile station delays entry into sleep mode in order to read a specified number of subsequent alternate (i.e., every other) additional paging channel slots to receive a paging message. During the paging channel slots located between those designated for reading paging displacement related paging messages, the mobile station makes more efficient use of limited battery supplied energy resources by making any requisite signal strength measurements.