diff --git a/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data.h b/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data.h
index 0b60542..37c9ff2 100644
--- a/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data.h
+++ b/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data.h
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@
 /* state of a logical channel */
 enum gsm_lchan_state {
 	LCHAN_S_NONE,		/* channel is not active */
+	LCHAN_S_ACT_REQ,	/* channel activatin requested */
 	LCHAN_S_ACTIVE,		/* channel is active and operational */
 	LCHAN_S_INACTIVE,	/* channel is set inactive */
 };
diff --git a/openbsc/src/abis_rsl.c b/openbsc/src/abis_rsl.c
index a1b20a4..26da704 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/abis_rsl.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/abis_rsl.c
@@ -939,12 +939,15 @@
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	rsl_tlv_parse(&tp, dh->data, msgb_l2len(msg)-sizeof(*dh));
-	if (TLVP_PRESENT(&tp, RSL_IE_CAUSE))
-		print_rsl_cause(LOGL_ERROR, TLVP_VAL(&tp, RSL_IE_CAUSE),
+	if (TLVP_PRESENT(&tp, RSL_IE_CAUSE)) {
+		const u_int8_t *cause = TLVP_VAL(&tp, RSL_IE_CAUSE);
+		print_rsl_cause(LOGL_ERROR, cause,
 				TLVP_LEN(&tp, RSL_IE_CAUSE));
-
-	msg->lchan->state = LCHAN_S_NONE;
-
+		if (*cause != RSL_ERR_RCH_ALR_ACTV_ALLOC)
+			msg->lchan->state = LCHAN_S_NONE;
+	} else
+		msg->lchan->state = LCHAN_S_NONE;
+ 
 	LOGPC(DRSL, LOGL_ERROR, "\n");
 
 	dispatch_signal(SS_LCHAN, S_LCHAN_ACTIVATE_NACK, msg->lchan);
@@ -1277,6 +1280,8 @@
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
+	lchan->state = LCHAN_S_ACT_REQ;
+
 	ts_number = lchan->ts->nr;
 	arfcn = lchan->ts->trx->arfcn;
 	subch = lchan->nr;
diff --git a/openbsc/src/chan_alloc.c b/openbsc/src/chan_alloc.c
index 4bdf722..abf4de8 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/chan_alloc.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/chan_alloc.c
@@ -175,7 +175,8 @@
 		/* check if all sub-slots are allocated yet */
 		for (ss = 0; ss < subslots_per_pchan[pchan]; ss++) {
 			struct gsm_lchan *lc = &ts->lchan[ss];
-			if (lc->type == GSM_LCHAN_NONE)
+			if (lc->type == GSM_LCHAN_NONE &&
+			    lc->state == LCHAN_S_NONE)
 				return lc;
 		}
 	}