A Markov-based framework for handover optimization in HetNets

The deployment of small cells in Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) raises new challenges in relation to the Handover process and the mobility management. In fact, the performance of a mobile user within a HetNet scenario highly depends on the setting of the handover parameters in relation to other context parameters, such as the channel conditions and the user position and speed. In this paper, we derive a general theoretical analysis to characterize the user performance as a function of the mobility model, the power profile received from the neighboring cells, and the handover parameters. More in detail, we propose a Markov-based framework to model the user state during the handover process and, based on such model, we derive an optimal context-dependent handover criterion. The mathematical model is validated by means of simulations, showing that our strategy outperforms conventional handover optimization techniques by exploiting the context information.