Abstract: A location update protocol is provided for use in a mobile communications network having a distributed cache for managing subscriber profile information associated with each of a plurality of subscribers of the network. The network includes a plurality of base stations each including a memory unit having a local database for storing: a local subscriber list including a plurality of locally owned cache entries each having an associated subscriber key value, and an associated locally owned subscriber profile; and a global subscriber list including a plurality of global cache entries each having an associated subscriber key value, and an associated location value indicating a node in the network at which an associated subscriber profile is stored. Each of the base stations is operative to transfer and copy selected ones of the cache entries to other ones of the base stations for the purposes of managing and accessing the distributed cache.