Beacon signaling and its application to inter-frequency handoff in OFDMA cellular communications

摘要

This paper introduces a beacon coding and signaling technique and its application to handoff in OFDMA cellular communication networks. Beacon signaling provides an efficient alternative to the conventional tune-away approach for inter-carrier/frequency handoff. The proposed handoff technique transmits beacon pilots in other carrier frequencies in the network allowing for easy and early detection of neighboring cells, and fast and seamless handoffs in a multi-carrier synchronous or asynchronous deployment. The proposed technique thereby minimizes the call drop rate and interference due to delayed handoff.