In a cellular mobile communications network a mobile station is capable of receiving
a downlink signal from each of a plurality of base stations and transmitting an
uplink signal to the plurality of the base stations through a wireless channel.
The mobile station produces a measure of signal quality of the downlink signals
from the plurality of base stations to the mobile station and selects a base station
from which the downlink signal shows a preferred signal quality. The mobile station
transmits an uplink signal indicating the selected base station among the plurality
of base stations for subsequent communications with the mobile station. Each base
station processes the uplink signal to identify the selected base station from
among the plurality of base stations.