Lecture 5 - Handoff

CSE4255
Cellular Network
Lecture 5
Handoff / Handover in cellular network
Handoff/ Handover
 When a mobile moves into a different cell
while a conversation is in progress, MSC
automatically transfers the call to a new
channel belonging to the new base station.
This process is called Handoff or Handover.
 Handoff operation involves:
 Identifying a new base station,
 Allocate new voice and control channels
associated with the new base station.
 Handoff must be performed:
1. Successfully
2. Infrequently
3. Imperceptible to users
Handoff Margin:
 A signal level is specified as
min usable for acceptable
voice quality
 A slightly stronger signal level
is used as threshold
 Normally taken between -
90dBm and -100dBm.
 The margin, given by
 = Pr handoff – Pr minimum usable
  can not be too large
 b/c unnecessary handoffs which burden the MSC may
occur
  can not be too small
 There may be insufficient time to complete a handoff
before a call is lost due to weak signal conditions.
Handoff – Unsuccessful
 Reasons for failed handoff:
 too small (i.e. PHANDOFF too low)
 high mobile speeds
 excessive delay at MSC
 High traffic level
 Un-availability of channels
Calculate Power
 Propagation measurements show:
 Pr = Power received
 Po = Power at a nearby point (do) in the far field of the transmitter
 do =near distance in the far field of the transmitter
 d = far away distance (also in the far field of the transmitter)
 n = path loss exponent, depends on environment shows how fast the

signal strength decays as receiver moves away from transmitter;
Usually 4 in urban area
5
Example-1
Let the speed of a mobile be v = 35 meters/sec. For
n = 4, a cell radius of 500 meters (the distance at
which the power is at the threshold), and a 2 second
handoff, what  is needed?
Solution:
Assume the mobile is driving directly away from the BS, so distance d
changes by 70 meters in two seconds. Consider the received power at
the two times:
Pr(minimum useable) =P0 − 10n log d
Pr(handoff) =P0 − 10n log (d − 70)
Taking the difference of the two equations (the 2nd minus the 1st),
 = 10n log d − 10n log (d − 70) = 10n log (d/d − 70)
Plugging in that the call is dropped at d = 500 meters, we have

 = 40 log500/430 = 2.6 dB.
Types of Handoffs
 Hard Handoff:
 A hard handoff is also known as break-before-make
handoff.
 The link between the existing BS and the MS is broken.
 A new link is established between the new BS and the MS.
Types of Handoffs
 Soft Handoff:
 The soft handoff is also known as make-before-break
handoff.
 During this handoff process, the MS remains in
communication with the original cell as well as with the
new cell.
 The handoff is completed when the mobile selects the best
BS as the target.
Handoff Initiation
 Handoff initiation means when a handoff should
be initialized.
 It is the process of deciding when to request a
handoff.
 Handoff decision is based on RSS from current
BS and neighboring BSs.
 The following are different methods for handoff
initiation:
1. Relative signal strength
2. Relative signal strength with threshold
3. Relative signal strength with hysteresis
4. Relative signal strength with hysteresis and
threshold
1. Relative Signal Strength:
 This method selects the
strongest received BS at all
times. Pnew> Pold
 The decision is based on a mean
measurement of the received
signal.
 SS fluctuates due to multi-path
effects
 Problem: This may result in
ping-pong effect.
2. Relative Signal Strength with
Threshold (Pnew> Pold and Pold< T):
 Introduces a threshold value to
overcome the ping-pong effect.
 This method allows a MS to hand off
only if the current signal is
sufficiently weak (less than threshold)
and the other is the stronger of the two
 If high threshold (T1) is used system
performs like Relative SS scheme.
 With a threshold of (T2), handoff
occurs at position B.
 If low threshold (T3) is used MU will
move far in into the new cell -
 This reduces the quality of the
communication link

3. Relative Signal Strength with
Hysteresis (Pnew> Pold + H):
 This scheme allows a user to hand off
only if the new BS is sufficiently stronger
by a hysteresis margin H than the current
one.
 Prevents the ping-pong effect, because
once handoff occurs, the effect of the
margin H is reversed.
 Handoff mechanism has two states
1. While the MU is assigned to BS A, the
mechanism will generate a handoff when
the relative SS reaches or exceeds the H.
2. Once the MU is assigned to B, it remains
so until the relative SS strength falls
below –H, at which point is handed back
to A.
4. Relative SS with hysteresis and
Threshold (Pnew> Pold+ H and
Pold< T):
 Handoff occurs only if
1. The current signal level drops below
a threshold, and
2. The target BS is stronger than the
current one by a hysteresis margin H.
 In our example, handoff occurs at C, if
the threshold is either T1 or T2 and at D
if the threshold is at T3.
5. Prediction Technique:
 The handoff decision is based on the
expected future value of the received
SS.
Handoff Decision
1. Network Controlled Handoff (NCHO)

2. Mobile Assisted Handoff (MAHO)
3. Mobile Controlled Handoff (MCHO)
14
Network Controlled Handoff (NCHO):
 Used in 1st generation analog cellular system.
 Signal strength measurements are made by the
base stations and supervised by the MSC.
 Each BS constantly monitors the signal strength
of all its reverse channels to determine relative
location of each mobile user.
 A locator receiver (a spare receiver) in BS is used
to scan and determine signal strength of mobile
users in neighboring cells.
 MSC decides whether handoff is required or not
based on SSI values from locator receivers.
15
Mobile Assisted Handoff (MAHO):
 Used in 2nd generation cellular system and faster
than 1st generation.
 Handoff decisions are mobile assisted
 Each mobile periodically measures the received
power from surrounding BSs and continually
reports the results to the serving BS.
 Handoff initiated when the received power from a
neighboring BS exceeds the power received from
the current BS (by a certain amt or for a certain
period of time),
 MSC no longer constantly monitors RSSI.
16
Mobile Controlled Handoff (MCHO):
 Used in 3rd generation cellular system and faster
than previous two generations.
 Each MS is completely in control of the handoff
process.
 This type of handoff has a short reaction time (on
the order of 0.1 second).
 MS measures the signal strengths from
surrounding BSs and interference levels on all
channels.
 A handoff can be initiated if the signal strength of
the serving BS is lower than that of another BS by
a certain threshold..
17
Prioritizing Handoffs (1)
 In non-prioritization schemes, new calls and handoff

calls are treated the same way.
 The probability that a handoff request will not be served by a
new base station is equal to the blocking probability of
incoming calls.
 From user point of view, a dropped call is more
annoying than an occasional blocked call
 To improve the quality of service, assign higher
priority to handoff over new call request.
 Two basic methods of handoff prioritization are:
1. Guard channels
2. Queuing of hand off.
18
 Guard Channels (GC)
A fraction of the total available channels in a
cell is reserved exclusively for handoff requests
 Makes fewer channels available for new call
requests
 Problem:
 Increase in call blocking probability.
 Decrease in total carried traffic.
A good strategy is dynamic channel allocation
(not fixed)
 adjustnumber of guard channels as needed by
demand
19
 so channels are not wasted in cells with low traffic
 Queuing of Handoff Requests (QHR)
 Queues the handoff calls when all of the channels
are occupied in a target BS.
 When a channel is released, it is assigned to one of
the handoff calls in the queue.
A new call request is assigned a channel if the
queue is empty and if there is at least one free
channel in the BS.
20
 QHC can be timer based:
 When a channel is released at BS, a timer is started. If a
handoff request is done before the timer expires,
channel is assigned to it. Otherwise, channel can be
assigned to new or handoff calls depending on their
arrival order.
 QHC can be Measurement based Prioritization
Scheme (MBPS):
 Handoff calls are added to the queue and assigned
priority dynamically based on the power level they
have. Calls with power level close to receiver threshold
have the highest priority. Provided better results from
FCFS basis. More control overheads.
 QHC can be Most Critical First based (MCF):
 Determines the first handoff call that will be cut off and
assigns the first released channel to that call. Use
21
simple radio measurements to predict the first cut off
call.
Practical problems with Handoff
 During a call
 High speed vehicles need more handoff
 Pedestrians may never need a handoff
 With addition of micro-cells to provide capacity,
 MTSO become burdened if high speed users are
constantly being passed between very small cells.
Problem
 Handling of high speed and low speed traffic simultaneously
while minimizing the handoff intervention from MSC
Solution:
 Umbrella Cell approach ensures that
i. The number of handoffs is minimized for high speed

users and
ii. Provides additional micro-cell channels for pedestrian
users.
Umbrella Cell Approach
 By using different antenna heights (often on the same building or
tower) and different power levels,
 it is possible to provide “large” and “small” cells which are co-
located at a single location.
 Large cell
 high speed traffic
 fewer handoffs
 Small cell
 low speed traffic
 Example areas: interstate highway passing through urban center,
office park, or nearby shopping mall
Umbrella Cell Approach (cont..)
 The speed of each user is estimated by base station or MSC by
evaluating
 how rapidly the short term average signal strength changes over
time.
 If high speed user in the large umbrella cell is approaching the

base station, and its velocity is rapidly decreasing,
 the base station may decide to hand the user into the co-located
microcell without MSC permission.
Umbrella Cell Approach
Figure 1: Umbrella Cell Approach

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CSE4255

 n = path loss exponent, depends on environment shows how fast the

Plugging in that the call is dropped at d = 500 meters, we have

1. Network Controlled Handoff (NCHO)

 In non-prioritization schemes, new calls and handoff

i. The number of handoffs is minimized for high speed

 If high speed user in the large umbrella cell is approaching the

Figure 1: Umbrella Cell Approach

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