Method and apparatus for low power mobile units for cellular communication system

A method and apparatus for efficient use of both power and bandwidth in a cellular communications system in which a Mobile Unit preferably enters Sleep-Mode when no communications have occurred between the Mobile Unit and the Base Station over a predetermined amount of time measured by an "Idle Timer". Upon expiry of a Wake Timer, the Mobile Unit awakes from Sleep-Mode to determine whether a message is pending. Concurrently, the Base Station transmits a "TEI-Notification" message directed to all Mobile Units to notify each Mobile Unit that has data pending. A system parameter determines the intervals at which the Base Station will transmit these notifications. Upon waking to receive a TEI-Notification message, the Mobile Unit determines whether the quality of the transmission is at least sufficient to allow the Mobile Unit to decipher the TEI-Notification message. If this minimal requirement is met, and the TEI-Notification message does not indicate that data is pending for the Mobile Unit, the Mobile Unit returns to sleep, even though the Mobile Unit may reside in a cell other than the cell associated with the Base Station currently assigned by the IS to communicate with the Mobile Unit. The Mobile Unit of the present invention does not monitor the forward channels on a regular basis, but rather waits until either the signal quality of the forward channel over which the Mobile Unit is receiving has degraded such that the TEI-Notification message can no longer be deciphered, or the TEI-Notification message indicates that a message is pending.