1. A method, including: receiving a ranging request message with a sleep-mode indication from a mobile node at a destination base station in a wireless packet-switched network (WPSN), wherein no service context associated with the mobile node exists at the destination base station at a time of receiving the ranging request message, the sleep-mode indication is to indicate to the destination base station that the mobile node is in a sleep mode; determining a base station identifier (BSID) associated with an originating base station from an access service network (ASN), wherein the originating base station last served the mobile node; and contacting the originating base station to retrieve an original service context associated with the mobile node and to retrieve any downlink packets buffered for the mobile node by the originating base station, wherein the original service context is stored at the originating base station, and wherein the downlink packets were buffered at the originating base station in an originating packet buffer after the mobile node entered the sleep mode, and wherein the destination base station having no service context indicates that the mobile node moved into a destination of area of coverage associated with the destination base station while the mobile node was in the sleep mode.