Theoretical analysis of handover failure and ping-pong rates for heterogeneous networks

In this paper, we characterize the relation between handover failure and ping-pong rates in a 3GPP heterogeneous network scenario as a function of relevant system parameters such as time-to-trigger, user equipment velocity, range expansion bias, etc. Under the assumptions that the picocell coverage and radio link failure areas are circular regions, and that users follow linear trajectories, handover failure and ping-pong rates are derived in closed-form expressions. Simulation results verify the accuracy of our analytical derivations, which shed new light on key aspects of the handover process in a heterogeneous network.