Abstract:
A method and apparatus facilitates location tracking of a portable subscriber unit (122) in a radio communication system including a plurality of cells for providing radio communications with the portable subscriber unit (122). The plurality of cells are partitioned into subzones (402), a subzone (402) comprising at least one cell and utilizing at least one control channel. Each subzone (402) is assigned one of N subzone color codes (606). Adjacent subzones (402) have different subzone color codes (522), and same-valued subzone color codes (522) are reused in non-adjacent subzones (606). Control information is transmitted throughout each subzone (402) on the control channel (608) by a fixed portion (102) of the radio communication system. The control information includes the subzone color code (522) of the subzone (402). The portable subscriber unit (122) detects changes in the subzone color code (522), and thereafter, registers with the fixed portion (102) of the radio communication system in response.