Adaptive handoff initiation method for improving throughput in data-oriented communications networks

Handoff is the process to transfer an ongoing call for a mobile station from the serving base station to another base station. Most conventional handoff initiation methods are based on a fixed hysteresis to decide when the handoff process is initiated. A suitable hysteresis for handoff initiation can simultaneously reduce handoff rate and dropping probability. However, conventional handoff initiation method is not suitable for emerging data-oriented communication systems. In this paper, a novel handoff initiation method is proposed in an attempt to increase data rates. The proposed handoff initiation method is not only based on signal quality measurement, but also handoff interruption time. According to our simulation results, the proposed method can yield higher data rates and has more robust performances than other handoff initiation methods.