METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING NEIGHBOR SCANNING IN A SUBSCRIBER UNIT IN A CELLULAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

In a cellular communication system, a plurality of neighbor scan lists are generated and associated with a selected cell in the cellular communication system, wherei n each neighbor scan list includes selected neighbor identifiers. Thereafter, a present operating mode, of a plurality of operating modes, of a subscriber unit communicating with the selected cell is determined. In response to the present operating mode of th e subscriber unit, the subscriber unit is configured to scan a neighbor scan list selecte d from the plurality of neighbor scan lists for the selected cell. The operating modes of the subscriber unit may include an idle mode and an active mode.