Performance advantage and use of a location based handover algorithm

In this paper we evaluate the performance of all types of handover procedures within UMTS, GSM and between the two of them. We estimate the time needed for measurements to determine the next cell during the handover preparation as well as the overall handover delay. To reduce the preparation time we suggest using the built in localization mechanisms of GSM and UMTS instead of measuring the reception level of surrounding cells. We discuss the suitability of the different localization mechanisms for the determination of the next cell. An acceleration of the handover procedures in GSM and UMTS is desirable in order to enhance the quality of calls. In particular time-savings are critical in scenarios where the duration of stay for a user within one cell is small, as it is the case e.g. for users moving with high speed. Moreover time-savings in the handover procedures can be used to help integrating an additional authentication during handovers between GSM and UMTS.