A method and system for implementing hard handover in wireless
telecommunications network. The method includes connecting a call from
user equipment in a first radio coverage area to a first media gateway in
a mobile switching center via a first connection point in said first
media gateway and further connecting the call from the first media
gateway to another party via a second connection point in the first media
gateway. Then, in response to the user equipment moving from the first
radio coverage area to a second radio coverage area, connecting the call
from the user equipment in the second radio coverage area to a second
media gateway in the mobile switching center, linking the call from the
second media gateway to the first media gateway via a third connection
point in the first media gateway, and removing the first termination in
said first media gateway. The system includes a radio network having a
set of radio network subsystems, wherein each of the radio network
subsystems includes a set of base stations and a radio network controller
for controlling the base stations, a core network having a set of mobile
switching centers, wherein each of the mobile switching centers includes
a set of media gateways and a media gateway controller for controlling
the media gateways, and a set of terminations within each media gateway
for establishing a call path between a wireless subscriber and another
party, wherein the terminations include at least one anchor termination
in a first media gateway for connecting the call to the other party
throughout the duration of the call.