Method and apparatus for state/mode transitioning

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a network element from a user equipment, an indication message including a cause value;

checking a radio resource profile for the user equipment, wherein the radio resource profile reflects transition information associated with the user equipment; and

making, at the network element, a transition decision for the user equipment to transition to a more battery efficient or radio resource efficient state based on the received cause value and the radio resource profile and not to transition to a more battery efficient or radio resource efficient state if more than a predetermined number of indication messages are received during a predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication message is triggered by an application layer on the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio resource profile includes static information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio resource profile includes one or more of: an access point name, a quality of service associated with a radio bearer, a quality of service associated with a radio access bearer, a packet data protocol context, or historical information for the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio resource profile includes a state transition profile.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the state transition profile includes information reflecting whether the state of the user equipment should enter transition, state transition preferences, delay or inactivity timer values, or a probability that the user equipment is correct to request a state transition.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the state transition profile is application specific.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the state transition profile is a composite of state transition profiles.

9. A network element comprising:

a communications subsystem adapted to receive an indication message including a cause value;

memory; and

a processor adapted to check a radio resource profile for a user equipment, the processor further adapted to make a transition decision to transition the user equipment to a more battery efficient or radio resource efficient state based on the received cause value and the radio resource profile and not to transition the user equipment to a more battery efficient or radio resource efficient state if more than a predetermined number of indication messages are received during a predetermined time period, wherein the radio resource profile reflects transition information associated with the user equipment.

10. The network element of claim 9 wherein the indication message is triggered by an application layer on the user equipment.

11. The network element of claim 9 wherein the radio resource profile includes static information.

12. The network element of claim 9 wherein the radio resource profile information includes one or more of an access point name, a quality of service associated with a radio bearer, a quality of service associated with a radio access bearer, a packet data protocol context, or historical information for the user equipment.

13. The network element of claim 9 wherein the radio resource profile includes a state transition profile.

14. The network element of claim 13 wherein the state transition profile includes information reflecting whether the state of the user equipment should enter transition, state transition preferences, delay or inactivity timer values, or a probability that a user equipment is correct to request a state transition.

15. The network element of claim 13 wherein the state transition profile is application specific.

16. The network element of claim 13 wherein the state transition profile is a composite of state transition profiles.

17. The network element of claim 9 wherein the memory is adapted to store the radio resource profile.