Patent ID: 8891488
Filing Date: 2014-11-18
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of maintaining external cell information for a first cell with respect to one or more neighboring cells, said method including maintaining network performance data for the neighboring cells reflecting historic or expected handover performance for the neighboring cells with respect to the first cell, and said method comprising: maintaining a cell list of those neighboring cells that are available for handover based on receiving a cell information message from each such neighboring cell that indicates the neighboring cell has at least one served PLMN available; and removing a given neighboring cell from the cell list, or otherwise marking it as unavailable, in response to receiving a cell information message from the given neighboring cell that indicates that no served PLMNs currently are available in the neighboring cell, while retaining the network performance data for the given neighboring cell, for use in the case that one or more served PLMNs once again become available in the given neighboring cell.