A rare condition can exist in which an outstanding gateway registration to the primary exists while the link to the survivable remote server is lost. The gateway awaits a denial or acceptance from the primary call controller. If the call controller accepts, then Link Loss Recovery is terminated, and the gateway is serviced by the primary call controller. If the call controller denies, then the gateway immediately sends a new registration to the primary call controller. The registration indicates no service, and the existing H.248 Link Loss Recovery feature takes over.