Abstract: Disclosed are methods for operating a wireless terminal or mobile station in a wireless telecommunications system. A first method includes steps of (a) transmitting a telephone number that includes an identifier for specifying that a user of the mobile station is calling a second mobile station that is believed to be roaming in a current serving system; (b) receiving the telephone number in the current serving system, typically at a mobile switching center (MSC); (c) detecting the presence of the identifier and, in response, determining if the telephone number is one that is stored in a Visitor Location Register (VLR) of the current serving system. If yes, the method includes a step (d) of paging the second mobile station in the current serving system. In one embodiment the step of transmitting includes an initial step of entering an identifier character into a memory of the mobile station, followed by the telephone number of the second mobile station.

Abstract: A method is provided for enabling a user of a cellular radiotelephone (10) having a keypad (22) to assign selected speech utterances to keys 22a, 22b of the keypad 22. The method comprises the steps of: (a) prompting the user to depress at least one of the keys 22a, 22b; (b) in response to the user depressing at least one of the keys 22a, 22b, prompting the user to utter speech into a user-interface (19) of the radiotelephone (10) for assigning the speech to the depressed at least one key 22a, 22b; and (c) in response to the user uttering speech into the user-interface (19), storing the uttered speech in a memory (24) for identifying the depressed at least one key 22a, 22b with the uttered speech. Also in accordance with the invention, the user may dial a telephone number by simply uttering, into the user-interface (19), speech identifying those ones of the keys 22a, 22b which correspond to alpha-numeric characters of the telephone number.

Abstract: Radio units responsive to a paging signal seize a trunk to connect wireless calls to telephone apparatus serviced by a private branch exchange. The radio units can each respond to a different set of mobile identification numbers, or can be configured in a master-slave arrangement or can employ subaddressing. Wireless trunking to a wireless private branch exchange can also be accomplished and a system with multiple hierarchical layers can also be formed.

Abstract: A long term average and a short term value of the strength of a received signal is used to determine a trigger condition in a mobile communications system to perform such functions as control channel or traffic channel reselect. The long term average removes the effects of short term fades in the short term signal that otherwise may cause a premature trigger decision. The short term value offsets historical bias that may be built into long term average. The actual trigger is only realized when both the long term average and the short term value exceed predetermined thresholds in a positive or negative direction.

Abstract: A mobile telephone network in which user identify module (UIM) locking is activated automatically by the network via signalling over the base station to mobile telephone common air interface. The telephone network periodically or regularly queries the Internal Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the mobile telephone being used by subscribers on the system. If the IMEI of a mobile telephone is found on a `stolen list` the network may then command the mobile station to activate UIM locking by messaging to and from the mobile telephone over the air interface to activate the UIM locking function using a transmitted bit pattern.

Abstract: Radio units responsive to a paging signal seize a trunk to connect wireless calls to telephone apparatus serviced by a private branch exchange. The radio units can each respond to a different set of mobile identification numbers, or can be configured in a master-slave arrangement or can employ subaddressing. Wireless trunking to a wireless private branch exchange can also be accomplished and a system with multiple hierarchical layers can also be formed.

Abstract: A mobile-assisted handoff technique for a cellular mobile communications system. A mobile makes measurements of adjacent base stations and reports the measurements to the serving base station. The measurements are adjusted to predict signal measurements that the adjacent base stations would make of the mobile. A full set of adjusted measurements, or a combined set of adjusted measurements and true measurements, made by those base stations with locate receivers, may be used in determining the best cell to hand-off the mobile to.

Abstract: A mobile telephone network in which user identify module (UIM) locking is activated automatically by the network via signalling over the base station to mobile telephone common air interface. The telephone network periodically or regularly queries the Internal Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the mobile telephone being used by subscribers on the system, If the IMEI of a mobile telephone is found on a `stolen list` the network may then command the mobile station to activate UIM locking by messaging to and from the mobile telephone over the air interface to activate the UIM locking function using a transmitted bit pattern.

Abstract: An improved method of initiating handoffs between sectors so as to reduce sectored voice channel interference is disclosed. The sectors that are adjacent and to the rear of the sector that is serving the mobile unit are scanned for signal quality. A handoff request message is sent to the cell controller if the signal quality detected by any of the scanned sectors is better than the signal quality read at the sector serving the mobile unit. When the handoff request message is received at the cell controller, a voice channel is allocated to the cell and sector associated with the scanned sector specified as having the better signal. A handoff process from the voice channel currently serving the mobile unit to the newly allocated voice channel in the specified sector, is then initiated.