Base station system configurations for future universal mobile telecommunication systems

This paper presents a study of base station system configurations for the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). The base station system (BSS), being the interface between the mobile terminal and fixed network, should be capable of handling a huge amount of traffic, mobility, and a high signaling load which is expected in the UMTS. Several functions that should be supported by BSS are envisaged. Special attention is given to the mobility functions (e.g., handover). Functions that are needed to perform a handover are identified. This results in a generic handover functional model. Possible allocation scenarios are examined, taking into account the interconnection methods for the BSS and considering the efficiency and processing delay. The possible scenarios are further evaluated for given traffic and mobility models in different areas and environments