This invention provides a method of operating a mobile station (MS), and a MS (10), that includes in one aspect adapting a protocol revision level in a MS Classmark information element (IE) to follow a protocol revision of a wireless network, and that includes in another aspect adapting a Quality of Service (QoS) information element sent by the MS to a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN) release version in the wireless network. In a further embodiment this invention provides a method of operating a MS that includes adapting operation of the MS to Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (EGPRS) capabilities of a serving cell of a wireless network.