Handoff Management

:Detection and Assignment

:Radio Link Transfer

Song Hyok

Digital Media Lab.

2003. 3 . 11 .
DIMA
Contents

● Handoff Detection (1st class)

 Mobile controlled handoff (MCHO)
 Network controlled handoff (NCHO)
 Mobile assisted handoff (MAHO)
● Channel assignment (1st class)
 Nonprioritized scheme and reserved channel scheme
 Queuing priority scheme
 Subrating scheme

● Radio link transfer (2nd class)

DIMA
 Mobile controlled handoff

● The most popular technique for low-tier radio systems

 European DECT, North American PACS air interface protocol

Make quality measurements

of channels
Monitoring the signal stren
gth and quality from BSs
Checks the best candidate BS
Automatic link transfer control
Measurements Time slot transfer control
process

Yes No Select new

Link-quality Execute
Channel or
Acceptable? ALT or TST
time slot

DIMA
Network controlled handoff

● low-tier CT-2 plus, high-tier AMPS (advanced mobile phone service)

● Heavy network signaling traffic happens
 Long interval handoff execution
MS RSSI
Monitor signal strength RSSI
and quality
BS RSSI BS

Threshold
BS

Arranges for a handoff

to another BS
Network
Choose new BS
Informs both the MS Report the measurement result
and the new BS Ask to monitor the signal from the MS

DIMA
Mobile assisted handoff

● GSM, IS-95 CDMA, IS-136 TDMA

● Decentralized process
 Both MS and BS supervise MS RSSI
RSSI
● GSM 1sec handoff WEI Select WEI BS
BS

Network

Report the measurement back

Measure signals from surrounding BSs

DIMA
Handoff failures

● No channel is available on selected BS

● Handoff is denied by the network
 Lack of resources
● Too long time setting up the handoff
● Target link failure

DIMA
Channel assignment

● Strategy
 To achieve a high degree of spectrum utilization
 To reduce forced terminations
● Trade off factors for channel assignment method
 Service quality
 Implementation complexity
 Number of database lookups
 Spectrum utilization
● Channel assignment process for the successful handoff
 DCA-Dynamic channel assignment
 FCA-Fixed channel assignment
 QSAFA-Quasi-static autonomous frequency assignment

DIMA
 Nonprioritized scheme
The reserved channel scheme
● NPS
 BS handles a handoff call in exactly the same with a new call
● RCS
 A number of channels or transceivers in each BS are reserved
 Channels are divided into two groups
 The normal channels
 The reserved channels Normal no
New
call channel Call blocked
arrival available?

New or
Channel no
handoff call Call blocked
available? yes
arrival

yes Channel Ongoing Channel

assigned call released

Channel Ongoing Channel yes yes

assigned call released

no
Handoff Normal no Reserved
call channel channel
arrival available? available

DIMA
Queuing priority scheme

● Based on the network overlapping condition

● Two scheduling policies for the QPS
 FIFO scheme, measured based priority scheme

Handoff
call
Normal
channel
yes
Channel Ongoing MS entering a handoff area
assigned call
arrival available?

no

Channel
MS checking available channel
Insert the released
call into the
waiting queue

New
call
channel
released
Queuing the handoff call
yes
Is
a channel Is
available before the waiting
the call queue
expires
?
no empty? Old BS used
until new channel available
no yes

Call blocked The cahnnel is idle Process in MCHO

DIMA
Subrating sheme

● Subrating an existing call for creating a new channel

 Dividing an occupied full rate channel into two channels at half
● PCS system ( using priority based scheme )
 A traffic channel needed
● Two ways in SRS Handoff
call
arrival
Channel
available?
yes
Channel
assigned
Ongoing
call

 Two mode ADPCM no

 No impact on the channel delay yes

Channel
released

No cost increasing
Channel
 available for
subrating

 Switchable ADPCM New

call
no

channel
 Higher delay released
Is
Is
there a
 High cost in MS yes
subrated
channel
the release
channel
subrated?
pair?
 Increasing the power draining no
yes

Each channel
The The other channel
Call of the subrated
channel of the subrated
blocked pair is upgraded
is idle pair is upgraded
to full-rate channel

DIMA
Radio link transfer

● Hard handoff procedure

 MS connects with only one BS
 Interruption during the link transition
 TDMA, FDMA

● Soft handoff procedure

 Soft handoff, Softer handoff
 Receives/transmits from/to multiple BSs simultaneously
 Complicated than hard handoff
 CDMA, TDMA with macro diversity

DIMA
Link transfer cases

● Intracell handoff
 Between two time slots or channels in the same BS
● Intercell handoff (Inter-BS handoff)
 Between two BSs attached to the same BSC
● Inter-BSC handoff
 Between two BSs connected to different BSCs
● Intersystem handoff (Inter-MSC handoff)
 Between two BSs connected to different BSCs on different MSCs
● Intersystem handoff between two PCS networks
 Between two BSs connected to different MSCs homing to different PCS

DIMA
Hard handoff (1/4)
MS Old BS New BS

1. link suspend message

● MCHO link transfer
Voice is 2. handoff request message
interrupted
3. handoff acknowledgment message

4. link resume message

6. New BS acquires
cipher key
5. voice is resumed on old link
7. Network bridges
the new and old BSs

8. handoff execution message

Voice is 9. access release message

interrupted

The MS initializes the synchronization with the new BS.

The MS returns to the old BS, then comes back to the
new BS. Cipher starts at this point

10. handoff execution message

11. handoff complete message

12. voice is resumed on new link

DIMA
Hard handoff (2/4)
MSC
Bridge

Cipher key

New BS
Old BS

1.Link suspend message 11.Handoff complete message

5.Link resume message 2.Handoff request message
8.Handoff execution message 3.Handoff acknowledgement message
9.Access release message
10.Handoff execution message

MS

DIMA
 Hard handoff (3/4) Old BS MSC New BS
MS

● MAHO/NCHO 1. measurement
report
2. handoff
required message
3. handoff
request message

New BS acquires
cipher key

4. handoff request
acknowledgment
5. handoff
command message
6. handoff
command message

7. handoff complete message

8. handoff
complete message
9. clear command
Voice is message
interrupted

10. clear complete

acknowledgment

Voice is resumed on new link

DIMA
Hard handoff(4/4) MS MS existing
MSleaving Network
handoff

Requesting ALT
1. priority access request message *

● Subrating MCHO 2. priority access request acknowledgment*

Subrating an existing call

3. time slot transfer message

4. transfer complete message

Assigning a channel
for the ALT request
5.priority channel assignment*

6. handoff request message

7. handoff complete message

Releasing a 8. access release message

traffic channel

9. time slot transfer message

Assigning full-rate channels 10. transfer complete message

to the subrated calls

11. timeslot transfer message

12. transfer complete message

*These messages are conveyed in the CSC. All other messages are in the traffic channel.

DIMA
Soft handoff (1/3)

● Used in CDMA
 Transmit/receive the same information to/from several BSs
 Signaling from multiple BSs combined at the MSC

DIMA
 Soft handoff (2/3) Old BS MSC New BS
MS

1. pilot strength
● Adding a new BS measurement 2. handoff request
message 3. handoff request
message
4. null traffic
message

5. join request
message

6. join
acknowledgment

7. handoff
8. handoff acknowledgment
9. handoff command acknowledgment
message

10 handoff complete
message
11. handoff information
acknowledgment

12. handoff information

acknowledgment

13. pilot measurement

request message

14. pilot strength

measurement

DIMA
 Soft handoff (3/3) Old BS MSC New BS
MS

1. pilot strength
● Dropping a BS measurement

2. handoff command
message

3. handoff complete
message 4. interface primary
transfer message

5. interface primary
transfer
acknowledgment

6. handoff
information message

7. handoff information
acknowledgment
8. pilot measurement
request message

9. pilot strength
measurement

10 remove link
request message

11. remove link

acknowledgment

DIMA