A radio network controller is operable in both a unicast signaling mode and a bi-cast signaling mode. In unicast signaling mode, the radio network controller is operable to send radio resource control signals to a mobile station through a serving cell. The radio network controller is operable to go into bi-cast signaling mode during a hard handover. In the bi-cast signaling mode, the radio network controller is operable to send radio resource control messages to the mobile station through both the current serving cell and a target cell. The mobile station is configured to listen to both the current serving cell and the target cell for radio resource control messages. User data, however, is transmitted only from the current serving cell to the mobile station.