A radio communication system is disclosed comprising a Public Land Mobile
Network (PLMN) where mobile radio telephones communicate with at least one
mobile services switching center via corresponding base stations and where
a home location register is connected to the at least one mobile services
switching center. A wide area paging system sends out paging signals from
at least one paging system accessible to the at least one mobile services
switching center. A plurality of mobile radio telephones register their
whereabouts in the home location register each time they are switched on.
A plurality of pagers are associated with but physically separate from the
mobile telephones. The paging system is accessed by the mobile services
switching center for performing a page to a called subscriber when the
called subscriber's mobile radio telephone is in an off state or cannot be
reached for other reasons. An incoming call to the mobile telephone is
parked until the mobile telephone is switched on and registered with the
home location register and the mobile services switching center parking
the incoming call is informed of the active state of the mobile telephone
and is provided with a roaming number. The mobile services switching
center then calls the activated mobile telephone using a page over the
cellular network and the mobile telephone answers the incoming call. If
the mobile telephone is not switched on and does not register within a
specified time after parking the incoming call, a time out will occur and
disconnect the parked incoming call.