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Optimized home evolved NodeB (eNB) handover in an LTE network

  • US 8,699,461 B2
  • Filed: 08/19/2011
  • Issued: 04/15/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A handover method operating within an evolved packet core (EPC) network having a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and a set of Home evolved NodeB (HeNB) nodes associated with a Home eNB Gateway (HeNB GW), comprising:

  • responsive to receipt of a first message requesting a handover from a source HeNB to a target HeNB, determining, at the HeNB GW, whether the handover can be processed locally at the HeNB GW by evaluating whether (i) the target HeNB is in a same tracking area as the source HeNB, (ii) the target HeNB either is open or supports a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier indicated by the source HeNB, and (iii) both the source and target HeNB use a same HeNB GW data path interface; and

    if the handover from the source HeNB to the target HeNB can be processed locally because (i) the target HeNB is in the same tracking area as the source HeNB, (ii) the target HeNB either is open or supports the Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier indicated by the source HeNB, and (iii) both the source and target HeNB use the same HeNB GW data path interface, completing the handover from the source HeNB to the target HeNB without relaying at least one or more handover protocol messages between the HeNB GW and the MME.

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