A system and method for handing over a terminal from a first base station to a second base station in a mobile communication system while the terminal is in communication with the first base station. Upon determining that the terminal must hand over to the second base station while communicating with the first base station in a first communication mode, a first base station controller controls the terminal such that it performs an initialization operation based on a second communication mode with the second base station. The first base station controller then notifies a first mobile switching center that the terminal has completed the initialization operation. The first mobile switching center notifies a second mobile switching center via a roaming gateway that the terminal must hand over to the second base station. The second mobile switching center controls a second base station controller such that it pages the terminal. If the second base station controller completes the paging of the terminal, the second mobile switching center notifies the first mobile switching center via the roaming gateway that the terminal is ready to hand over to the second base station. The roaming gateway controls the second mobile switching center such that the second base station controller sets up a call with the terminal. The second mobile switching center then notifies the first mobile switching center via the roaming gateway that the call setup with the terminal has been completed. The first mobile switching center controls the first base station controller such that it releases current communication of the terminal with the first base station.