A method for negotiating and transmitting location update time length information, applied in a Wimax network architecture, comprises: a mobile station initiating a request for initially accessing a network, a request for entering an idle mode, or a request for a location update to a services access service network gateway; when receiving said request, said services access service network gateway negotiating an idle mode timer length, and notifying said mobile station of the negotiated idle mode timer length. The present invention can implement the negotiation and transmission of location update time length information between access service network gateways as well as between an access service network gateway and a mobile station in a Wimax network so that the location update time lengths of the network side and the mobile station maintain consistent.