Topic: Call Handover

CALL HANDOVER

Hand over is the process of automatically transferring a call in progress to a different cell to avoid the adverse effects of user movement, such as the loss received signal strength. First rescue the call, which imposes urgency for call transfer, If the call is not transferred immediately it will be lost. The reason for call loss may be the excessive co-channel interference. The second purpose may be to reduce the interference that a call in one cell may cause to calls in the other cell. The third purpose to ease traffic congestion by moving some calls from a highly congested cell to a cell that is not so congested.

There are three purpose of handover :

CALL HANDOVER

There are also three cases of handover, all of which must be treated differently: i. First, there is handover from one radio channel to another of the same BTS (same BSC) ii. Second, there is handover between channels of different BSCs under the control of the same MSC. iii. Third there is handover between channels under control of different MSCs in the same PLMN These three hand-off process are as shown in Fig 1 Assume that the initial mobile call is established through MSC (a) to BSC (1) link 1a to cell 1. If the measurements by the mobile and the BSC indicate that the adjoining cell 2 is a better choice, the BSC selects link 1b and a new voice channel and informs the mobile to tune this new channel. The new speech path becomes MSC (a) to BSC (1), through link 1b to cell 2. The initial link 1(a) is released

CALL HANDOVER

The further movement of the mobile may bring the mobile to cell 3, which is controlled by a different BS but within the same MSC. The process is the same, but the new path becomes MSC (a) to BSC (2), through link 2a to cell 3. Finally, the mobile may come to a cell that is controlled by a different BSC and MSC, for example MSC (b). In this case MSC (a) will extend the fixed telephone link to the new MSC (b), but retain supervision of call. The MSC (a) , in this case, is known as the anchor MSC. The MSC (a) delegates activation and deactivation to MSC (b) during further hand over to a new MSC. The voice channel path in this case becomes MSC (a) to MSC (b) to BSC (3) , through link 3a or 3b to the mobile.

CALL HANDOVER
Cell 1

1a

MSC Fixed Line

BTS
1b

Cell 2

BTS

BSC(1)
4
2a

Cell 3

BTS
2b

3 MSC

PSTN

Cell 4

BTS
3a

BSC(2)

Cell 5

BTS

3b

3 BSC (3) MSC 4 4 c 5

Cell 6 Cell 7
Cell 8 BTS

BTS BTS
4a

4b

BSC (4)

Fig. Mobile Handover

CALL HANDOVER

There are two modes of handover: i) Synchronous Mode ii)Asynchronous Mode Synchronous Mode :
In synchronous mode old and new cells are synchronized so that their TDMA timeslots start at exactly the same time. This permits the MS to compute the timing advance for the new cell without any help. The difference in timing advance between the old and new cells is then just twice the difference in arrival times of signals within the same slot to the MS from the two different BTSs. Asynchronous Hanover: In asynchronous handover, the old and new cells are unsynchronized, so the MS cannot independently correct the timing advance in this way. The timing advance must then be initialized at both the MS and the new BTS during handover. The MS sends the new BTS access bursts with a zero timing advance, and the BTS then determines the required timing advance from the round trip delay of the message The BTS then sends the required timing advance to MS
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CALL HANDOVER

Hanover to another cell is the usual case, but handover to another channel in the same cell might also take place in order to mitigate interference with other cells. The hand over to different cells controlled by the same BSC. With a call progress, the BSC may determine that a change of channel or cell (BTS-2) is necessary. BSC request a new channel from BTS-2 with an RSM Channel Activation message.BTS-2 allocates a channel, if available, and responds with an RSM Channel Acknowledge message to BSC. The BSC then sends an RIL3-RR Handover Command message to MS on the FACCH, via BTS-1 ( mobile currently talking through BTS-1), assigning the new channel, its characteristics, the power level to use, and whether to use synchronous or asynchronous hand over. The message will also include the assignment of a new SACCH. Upon receiving this message , the MS initiates the release of the old channel and the connection to the new one.
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CALL HANDOVER

Two procedures are possible depending on whether the old and new cells are synchronized or not. In the synchronous mode ,after switching to the new channels the MS sends to the new BTS, in successive assigned multi-frame slots on the FACCH, four RIL3-RR Handover Access message as shown in the fig. It then activates the new channel in both directions. When it has received sufficient access Hand over Access message, The new BTS may also (optional) send an RSM Hanover Detection message to BSC. In the asynchronous mode, MS start sending a continuous stream of RIL3-RR Handover Access message to new BTS until It receives in response an RIL3-RRPhysical Information message giving timing advance to apply. This handover message Is repeated several times to ensure that the message is received by BTS 2.

CALL HANDOVER
After starting the Handover Access message, the MS activate the new channels in the receiving mode only. It does not activate transmit side until it receive the timing advance in the Physical Information message. The MS then sets up the link layer of the radio link by sending a SABM frame (an X.25 packet switched protocol) answered by an UA frame. After the lower connection are successfully established ,the MS sends an RIL3-RR Handover Complete message to BSC over the new FACCH. Communication over the newly established channel is then is resumed through BTS-2.The BSC also directsBTS1 to release the old channels by sending an RSM RF Channel Release message acknowledgement from BTS1

CALL HANDOVER
MS BTS-1 BSC BTS-2 MS
Call in Progress RSM Channel Activation

RSM Channel Activation Acknowledge

RIL3-RR Handover Command RIL3-RR Handover Access RSM Handover Detection or RIL3-RR Handover Access Synchronous Mode only

Asynchronous Mode only

RIL3-RR Physical Information SABM Frame UA Frame RIL3-RR Handover Complete Resume on Communication New Channel

RSM RF Channel Release RSM RF Channel Acknowledge 10

Fig Handover between RF CHL of the same BSC