Abstract: A system for facilitating the acquisition of a most desirable wireless service for a wireless phone. The system includes a scanning mechanism for periodically scanning for a signal indicative of a wireless service having a coverage area that overlaps one or more coverage areas of other wireless services. A service acquisition mechanism acquires the wireless service or one of the other wireless services based on predetermined selection criteria and the signal. More specifically, the present invention includes a wireless phone having a first mechanism for determining if a detected system, i.e., service is associated with a coverage area that overlaps one or more coverage areas of different systems. A second mechanism compares the different systems to the detected system and selects a preferred system based on the comparison. A third mechanism acquires the preferred system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for acquiring an emergency service from one or more candidate mobile radio communication systems. An attempt is made by the mobile radio unit to acquire normal non-emergency service. If the attempt of acquiring normal non-emergency services fails and the user needs to originate an emergency call, an emergency scan list containing one or more candidate mobile radio communication systems is scanned, and an attempt is made to acquire emergency service from one of these systems. The emergency scan list is different from the normal preferred roaming list stored in the mobile radio unit. Next, the invention originates an emergency call in accordance with the service acquired from the emergency scan list.