A framework of a common mobility management protocol for Q.5/16 includes a high level protocol for performing the functions of address resolution, routing, location update and authentication. The common mobility management protocol can be used by existing and future multimedia applications (MA's) to support mobility management for messaging among mobility management authentication function (AuF), home location function (HLF) and visitor location function (VLF) databases/servers, and the corresponding multimedia application functional entities (MAFEs) of the multimedia applications (MA's). The common mobility management protocol may replace, act in concert with or in sequence with existent interworking protocols for the various multimedia applications. Reference point architectures, functional characteristics, features, and capabilities of the protocol are described including call flows and message syntax. The disclosure presents the scope of Q.5/16 and how H.MMS.1 (H.323 Mobility), H.MMS.2 (Global Mobility), and H.MMS.3 (Presence/Instant Messaging Mobility) can be a part of the same common mobility management protocol.