Disclosed are a soft handoff system, a soft handoff method, and a mobile terminal equipped with the soft handoff system. The soft handoff system for a mobile terminal analyzes periodically monitored wireless conditions of neighbor base stations, transmits a PSMM (Pilot Strength Measurement Message) to a current base station when a condition arises that needs reporting to the current base station, receives an HDM (Handoff Direction Message) from the current base station, wherein upon receiving the HDM from the current base station, the system allows a handoff drop timer of an active base station belonging to an active set having a pilot channel signal strength less than a predetermined value to continue running rather than to be reset until the handoff drop timer expires.