METHOD OF REDUCING CONTROL CHANNEL TRAFFIC IN A RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

A method of reducing control channel traffic in a radio communication system employs a scheme that defines paging areas. A paging area comprises at least a first location area and other coverage areas. Radio communication is provided that exhibits a degree of co-channel interference among control channels serving coverage areas that are associated with different location areas. According to the invention, a record is provided at the fixed end for each of the coverage areas. These records have elements that include an identification (ID) for the associated location area, and an identification for supported coverage areas, which together define a paging area. The elements of the record are transmitted by the fixed end, and the record elements are retrieved (304) by a mobile. The mobile then determines (306) whether or not he is still within the same paging area corresponding to the location area in which he was last registered. Accordingly, the mobile needs not re-register each time it travels from one location area to another.