Handover performance of dynamic load balancing schemes in cellular networks

In this paper, we propose to use a dynamic load balancing scheme that utilizes fixed relay stations placed in a cellular geographical coverage area to improve the handover performance in cellular networks. To this end, we develop closed-form performance expressions and derive the handover dropping probability in terms of the main system parameters, such as the new call and handover arrival rates, the number of fixed and load-balancing channels per cell, the load balancing probability for new and handover calls, etc. Our results show that by employing a dynamic load balancing scheme, not only the new call blocking probability, but also the handover dropping probability can be improved substantially, without reserving any channels or assigning any priority to handover calls. In fact, employing dynamic load balancing without any guard channels outperforms a conventional system that employs the well-known guard channel method (GCM).