Definition

In cellular communications, the handoff is the process of transferring an active call or

data session from one cell in a cellular network or from one channel to another. In
satellite communications, it is the process of transferring control from one earth station
to another. Handoff is necessary for preventing loss of interruption of service to a caller
or a data session user. Handoff is also called handover.

The need for Handoff

 As the user (MS) moves
away from the cell of one tower (BS), the signal strength of that BS reduces. However, the signal
from another (now closer) BS grows, and a handoff is imminent.

 One of the building blocks of cellular communication is mobility, which

refers to providing users with the freedom of movement while they still
are connected to the network.
 Handoffs play a major role in allowing users to move across cells
without the fear of being disconnected.
 It is also to be noted that a handoff may also be triggered when the
number of subscribers in a particular cell has already reached the cell’s
maximum limit, keeping the network safe from the threat of being
congested and overloaded.
 It can be assumed to be an example of “make before break” as a
standby connection is supposed to be present before the switch is done.

Types of Handoffs
There are various types of handoffs as listed below, each of which are used in
different scenarios.
Soft Handoff

Soft handoff
Soft Handoff is a feature where a cellular device gets connected to two or
more cell BTS (or cell sectors) at the same time. If all the sectors to which the
MS is connected to are from the same cell, then it is referred to as a Softer
Handoff.
Hard Handoff
Hard Handoff is a technique that requires the user’s connection to be broken
before connecting to another while switching between two BTS and hence is
equivalent to “breaking before making”. It is generally implemented in
Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division Multiple
Access (TDMA) based devices and is implemented when the subscriber/user
is being connected to a base station with a different radio frequency than the
current base station. The following image shows the difference between Soft
and Hard Handovers.