Method for selecting an air interface on a multi-mode wireless device

A method for selecting an air interface on a multi-mode wireless device capable of communicating over a plurality of air interfaces, the method comprising:

• accessing a plurality of technology specific access lists for a plurality of wireless technologies, each technology specific access list defining networks for a respective wireless technology;
• ranking the networks in descending desirability according at least to application specific criteria of individual applications of a set of applications expected to be executed in the multi-mode wireless device and operational features of the plurality of wireless technologies;
• and
• generating the set of application specific access lists based on the ranking, each application specific access list corresponding to a respective application of the set of applications expected to be executed in the multi-mode wireless device and including at least one of the networks associated with the plurality of technology specific access lists;
• starting a first application;
• selecting a first application specific access list of the set of application specific access lists, the first application specific access list corresponding to the first application;
• selecting a first active network from the first application access specific list, the first active network representing an available and most desirable network for the first application in the first application specific access list;
• activating the first active network for use by the first application;
• and
• switching from the first active network to a second active network if a user switches from the first application to a second application, the second active network representing an available and most desirable network for the second application in a second application specific access list of said set of application specific access lists, wherein the first active network and the second active network are ascertained based on the set of application specific access lists, wherein the switching from the first active network to the second active network is performed even if the first active network is still available when switching to the second application.