A method and apparatus for handing over a mobile station (106) from a serving base station (104a) to a target base station (104b) within a wireless communication system (100) is described. A session is established between the mobile station and the serving base station and it is determined that the mobile station is to be handed over from the serving base station to the target base station. The target base station notifies the serving base station of identifying data of the target base station and added to the identifying data is a message to be sent to mobile station regarding the handover of the mobile station. The serving base station sends the message including the identifying data to the mobile station and the mobile station is handed over from the serving base station to the target base station using the identifying data of the target base station.