Method and apparatus for intelligently reporting neighbor information to facilitate automatic neighbor relations

An apparatus for controlling a mobile communications device, the apparatus comprising a processing system on the mobile communications device that is configured to:

• receive system information of a current cell that is serving the mobile communications device following reselection from a prior cell that had been serving the mobile communications device before the current cell, wherein the system information is received from a radio access node associated with the current cell and comprises information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell, and wherein the prior cell is a cell whose information has been logged by the mobile communications device prior to said cell reselection;
• determine whether the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell includes information regarding the prior cell;
• and
• communicate, to the radio access node, an indication that neighbor information regarding the prior cell is available only in an instance in which it is determined that the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell does not include information regarding the prior cell, but not in an instance in which it is determined that the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell includes information regarding the prior cell.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions which, when operated by a mobile communications device, causes the mobile communications device to perform the steps of:

• receiving system information of a current cell that is serving the mobile communications device following reselection from a prior cell that had been serving the mobile communications device before the current cell, wherein the system information is received from a radio access node associated with the current cell and comprises information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell, and wherein the prior cell is a cell whose information has been logged by the mobile communications device prior to said cell reselection;
• determining whether the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell includes information regarding the prior cell;
• and
• communicating an indication that neighbor information regarding the prior cell is available only in an instance in which it is determined that the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell does not include information regarding the prior cell, but not in an instance in which it is determined that the information regarding neighbor cells of the current cell includes information regarding the prior cell.