A multicellular communications system where transmission between a roving subscriber and multiple base station transceivers is maintained throughout the territory. Each mobile subscriber unit has global code seeds for the entire communications system or an updated neighbor list and continuously searches to access available cell base stations while maintaining a communication link with one base station. Candidate cell base stations are interrogated and communicated with. The candidate base station that requires less transmitting energy from the mobile subscriber unit is closely monitored. When the mobile subscriber unit can successfully communicate with less transmit power than currently required by the present base station, the mobile subscriber unit is handed off to the candidate base station transceiver.