Patent ID: 6167036
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
Cell-site equipment for location at a cell-site of a cell in a code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular radio communications system, said cell having more than one sector, comprising:one or more antennas for generating a plurality of radio communications main beams, a respective one of said main beams covering each one of said sectors; anda plurality of base transceiver stations (BTS), each BTS being independently coupled to a base station controller (BSC) and coupled to one or more of said antennas for handling communications in a respective coverage area comprising one or more of said sectors, at least one of said BTSs handling communications in a coverage area comprising two mutually-adjacent sectors, such that a subscriber unit located in a sector in a coverage area of a BTS communicates with said BTS using said respective main beam covering said sector;said cell-site equipment operating such that, if a subscriber unit moves from a first of said sectors to a second of said sectors, said first of said sectors being in said coverage area of a first of said BTSs and said second of said sectors being in said coverage area of a second of said BTSs, then radio communication between said subscriber unit and said second of said BTSs is set up by means of a soft handoff, said soft handoff being controlled bv said BSC;and said cell-site equipment operating such that, if a subscriber unit moves from a first of said sectors to a second of said sectors, said first of said sectors and said second of said sectors being in said coverage area of the same one of said BTSs, then radio communication in said second sector between said subscriber unit and said one of said BTSs is set up by means of a softer handoff, said softer handoff being controlled by said one of said BTSs.