The message waiting notification update system is operable in the serving Mobile Switching Center and, upon receipt of a message-waiting acknowledgement from the mobile subscriber station, updates the local copy of the subscriber's data in the Visited Location Register and forwards this information to the subscriber's Home Location Register. The Home Location Register stores this received data for use when the next successive Registration Notification is received from a new serving Mobile Switching Center or in response to the subscriber initiating a local access. When the serving Mobile Switching Center receives a Registration Notification message return result from the subscriber's Home Location Register and the message waiting notification count is the same as the count previously sent to the Home Location Register, the serving Mobile Switching Center does not have to transmit a message waiting notification over the forward control channel to the mobile subscriber station.