A mobile wireless device maintains a radio sector database. When receiving no response or a negative response from a radio sector to a transmitted signaling message, the mobile wireless device adds or updates the radio sector database. When receiving a positive response from the radio sector, the mobile wireless device deletes the radio sector from the radio sector database. Before transmitting signaling messages to a radio sector, the mobile device determines a time delay value if the radio sector is in the radio sector database. The mobile wireless device discards the signaling message when an elapsed time since a most recently transmitted signaling message to the radio sector does not exceed the determined time delay value. In an embodiment, each radio sector in the radio sector database includes a failure count value, and the determined time delay value depends on the failure count value.