A method and apparatus for requesting Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) instances from a packet data services network includes a mobile station configured to send an origination message to a packet data service node (PDSN) at which it has arrived upon leaving the vicinity of another PDSN. The message informs the new PDSN of the new location of the mobile station and indicates both the number of dormant PPP instances associated with the mobile station and a service reference identifier for each such PPP instance. A flag within the message may be used to indicate whether the PPP instances are dormant (i.e., whether the mobile station is engaged in a call). Communications channel resources of packet data services nodes are optimized by reducing the information included in messages from the Packet Control Function network element to the Packet Data Service Node network element, and by reducing the use of Mobile Internet Protocol agent advertisement.