Fast cell selection in a mobile wireless device

A mobile wireless communication device, the device comprising:

• an application processor configured to generate and receive messages;
• a transceiver connected to the application processor, the transceiver configured to transmit radio frequency signals to and receive radio frequency signals from a wireless communication network and configured to select a cell in the wireless communication network with which to connect by:
• detecting a loss of radio frequency connection between the transceiver in the mobile wireless communication device and a first cell in the wireless communication network;
• locating a set of candidate cells in the wireless communication network with which to connect;
• determining a subset of located candidate cells that match to cell suitability criteria stored in the mobile wireless communication device, the cell suitability criteria including at least one of received power level and received signal quality parameters broadcast in one or more system information blocks by the wireless communication network;
• determining whether one of the cells in the subset of located candidate cells is the first cell to which the mobile wireless device was previously connected;
• and
• selecting the first cell to associate with the mobile wireless communication device when the first cell satisfies one or more of the stored cell suitability criteria,
• wherein the cell suitability criteria are stored in the mobile wireless communication device prior to detecting the loss of radio frequency connection.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for storing computer program code executable by a processor in a mobile wireless communication device for selecting a cell in a wireless network with which to associate comprising:

• in the mobile wireless communication device,
• computer program code for detecting a first cell in the wireless network associated with the mobile wireless communication device fails one or more suitability criteria stored in the mobile wireless communication device, the set of suitability criteria including at least one of received power level and received signal quality parameters broadcast in one or more system information blocks by the wireless communication network and stored in the mobile wireless communication device before detecting the first cell fails the one or more suitability criteria;
• computer program code for searching for and locating a set of candidate cells with which to associate the mobile wireless communication device;
• computer program code for determining whether one of the candidate cells in the set of candidate cells is the first cell to which the mobile wireless communication device was previously connected;
• computer program code for evaluating whether the first cell satisfies one or more stored suitability criteria for the first wireless cell when one of the candidate cells is the first cell;
• and
• computer program code for associating with the first cell when one of the candidate cells in the set of candidate cells is the first cell and the first cell satisfies one or more of the received suitability criteria.