Abstract: A CT-2 base's intelligence (36) is enhanced by having a handset (12) transmit (418) its base registration history to the base station (24) such that the base can determine (724) whether the handset is correctly registered. The handset (12) requests (606) a link with any one of the previously registered base stations recorded in the base registration history by transmitting a link request containing the handset ID and any one of the previously recorded base IDs from the base registration history. This single base ID need not necessarily be the base station identification of the currently registered base station. The base station then determines (724) whether the one base station identification matches one member of the base registration history for the associated handset identification. In response to a match, the base transmits (712) the link grant to the handset.