Abstract:
A method and system for performing an intersystem handoff of communication with a mobile station between base stations of first and second cellular systems is disclosed herein. At the mobile station, a quantifiable parameter of a signal transmitted by a second base station of the second system is measured. When the measured value of the quantifiable parameter passes through a first predetermined level, the mobile station communicates a signal quality message via a first base station of the first system to a first mobile switching control station. A channel request message is then communicated from the first mobile switching control station to a second mobile switching control station within the second system. At the second base station, a quantifiable parameter of the signal received from the mobile station is also measured. The second base station establishes communication with the mobile station when the measured value of the quantifiable parameter passes through a predetermined level. Alternately, the signal strength of a first pilot signal transmitted by the first base station is measured at the mobile station. A handoff request message is then sent to the second base station when the measured signal strength of the first pilot signal becomes less than a second predetermined level, thereby mobile station communication to be established. The provision of a voice link between the mobile switching control stations allows for the forwarding of an existing connection between the first and second cellular systems, and enables the performance of soft intersystem handoffs.
Abstract:
Operating at least one low duty cycle (LDC) controller to maintain synchronization between the LDC controller and a plurality of LDC terminals operating over a communication network using only overhead channels of the network and conforming to the protocol and timing of said network, wherein synchronization between the LDC controller and the plurality of LDC terminals is maintained separately from the protocol and timing of the communication network, and enables the LDC controller to schedule power down and wake up of the plurality of LDC terminals for durations longer than allowable under the protocol and timing of the communication network.
Abstract:
A network operator identifier is used to uniquely identify each network operator to support international roaming. The network operator identifier includes (1) a Mobile Country Code (MCC) that identifies the country in which a network operator belongs and (2) a Network Operator Code (NOC), which may be a Mobile Network Code (MNC), that distinguishes network operators within a given MCC. Each network operator is assigned a unique combination of MCC and NOC that distinctly identifies the network operator, and the network operator identifier can be stored in a single entry in a preferred roaming list. The base stations of each network operator broadcast the network operator identifier in signaling messages. A mobile station receives a signaling message from a base station, obtains the network operator identifier, searches its preferred roaming list for an entry with the network operator identifier, and determines whether or not the current CDMA network is accessible.
Abstract:
A method of effecting handoff of a mobile station from a first base station in a first cellular communications system (46) controlled by a first mobile switching control station to a second base station in a second, different cellular system (48) controlled by a second mobile switching control station is described. The method comprises measuring at the mobile station a parameter of a signal transmitted by said first base station and a parameter of a signal transmitted by said second base station. When the parameters reach a predetermined condition, a signal quality message is communicated from the mobile station via the first base station to said first mobile switching control station, which responds by generating information for a channel request message for the second mobile switching control station and transmitting the same to the mobile station.