Abstract: Initiation of a hard handoff at a mobile station from an overlay carrier to an underlying carrier in a wireless telecommunications system may be considered based on a first condition being satisfied. Once the first condition is satisfied, hard handoff may be initiated based on at least one of a plurality of further conditions being satisfied. Advantageously, the plurality of further conditions may be arranged to be independent of the total power received at the mobile station and, therefore, independent of loading.

Abstract: A method of moving from a 3G CDMA data session to a 2G circuit switched data session. The high-speed packet data service option of IS-2000 (3G) does not support the older low-speed IS-95 traffic channels (2G). When a mobile station, having an established high-speed packet data service call, moves from an area of 3G coverage to an area where only 2G coverage is available or where mixed 2G/3G coverage is available and the 3G coverage is congested, the call is switched from a 3G IS-2000 high-speed packet data service call to an IS-95 circuit switched data service call or an IS-707-A-5 low-speed packet data service option. The 3G call may also be terminated and re-established as an 2G call re-routed using Mobile IP.