Patent ID: 8428602
Filing Date: 2013-04-23
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a macrocell system including one or more candidate femtocell networks and a macrocell mobile station, a method comprising: receiving from a femtocell base station of each femtocell network, information regarding available bandwidth for femtocell mobile stations associated with the femtocell base station; measuring a signal-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR) at the macrocell mobile station relative to the macrocell network and each femtocell network; calculating the capacity available to the macrocell mobile station in each of candidate femtocell networks based upon the measured SINRs and the received information regarding the available bandwidths; and when the SINR exceeds a predetermined threshold, selecting a network from the candidate femtocell networks that has the greatest capacity available to the macrocell mobile station for a hand-off of the macrocell mobile station to the selected network.