A system and a method for reducing the power consumption of a wireless terminal and increasing capacity of a wireless communication system, without sacrificing the functions of the terminal. A base station includes a memory for storing the characteristics of the wireless terminal, the types of voice traffic that are supported by the terminal, and a program for executing an algorithm for exchanging control messages with the terminal via a wireless network. The algorithm is modified based on the particular characteristics of the wireless terminal, and sets the frequency of message exchange to not to exceed a predetermined frequency. In addition, the algorithm limits a time that information is displayed on the wireless terminal to a predetermined duration of time.