Maintaining data connectivity for handoffs between compression-enabled and compression-disabled communication systems

Methods and apparatus are presented for enabling data connectivity when a handoff occurs between one communication network and another communication network, wherein the communication networks belong to different air interface standards. The mobile station triggers a Compression Control Protocol (CCP) request message to a tethered device if the mobile station determines that a new PDSN is not enabled to perform the CCP protocol. The tethered device then responds with a CCP request message with or without new negotiation parameters. The mobile station forwards the CCP request message to the new PDSN. Since the new PDSN is not enabled with CCP, the new PDSN responds with a CCP rejection message. The rejection message is passed from the mobile station back to the tethered device. The tethered device then sends uncompressed data packets to the PDSN.