Patent ID: 9668178
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method, comprising: connecting a local area network (LAN) base station to a user equipment, wherein the LAN base station and the user equipment are connected with a source macro base station where the user equipment has a dual connectivity with the LAN base station and the source macro base station, wherein the LAN base station has a backhaul connection with the source macro base station for data forwarding; after connecting the LAN base station to the user equipment, disconnecting the LAN base station from the source macro base station and connecting the LAN base station to a target macro base station in order to establish a backhaul connection between them for data forwarding, wherein the disconnecting is performed during a handover of the user equipment from the source macro base station to the target macro base station where the user equipment has a dual connectivity with the LAN base station and the target macro base station; and transmitting, from the LAN base station, after the handover of the user equipment from the source macro base station to the target macro base station and upon a need to release the user equipment from the LAN base station, context data of the user equipment to the target macro base station and disconnecting the LAN base station from the user equipment, thereby ending the dual connectivity of the user equipment with the LAN base station and the target macro base station, wherein, prior to disconnecting the LAN base station from the user equipment, guaranteeing service continuity for the user equipment based on transmitting the context data of the user equipment in connection with the LAN base station to the target macro base station, and wherein when the LAN base station is connected to the user equipment, the connection of the LAN base station to the user equipment is part of the user equipment being dual connected to one macro base station and to one local area network base station at a time.