EFFICIENT HANDLING OF CONNECTIONS IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

Efficient channel switching procedures are provided in a mobile communications system. A first channel is established to support a connection through a radio access network to a mobile station. Subsequently, if the first channel is no longer used to support that connection, a portion of that first channel is nevertheless maintained for a period of time. That way, if the first channel is again needed to support the connection to the mobile station, the maintained portion of the first channel is simply reactivated thereby reducing channel switching costs and delays associated with channel set-up and release operations. The portion of the first channel that is maintained may be associated with resources within the radio access network. Another portion of the first channel, corresponding for example to a radio channel resource supporting the connection between the radio access network and the mobile station, may be released after the first channel is no longer being used to support the connection in order to make that radio channel resource available for other mobile connections. In one example embodiment, the first channel corresponds to a dedicated type of channel that is reserved for the connection with the mobile station, and the connection is switched to a second type of channel corresponding to a common channel that is not reserved for a particular mobile station, i.e., it is shared by plural mobile stations. In another example embodiment, the first channel is one of plural channels established between the mobile station and the radio access network in accordance with a handover operation. The invention allows the connection to be quickly and efficiently switched back from the common channel to the dedicated channel (the first example embodiment) and to a cell which previously supported the connection (in the second example embodiment).