Patent ID: 8265033
Filing Date: 2012-09-11
Classification: H04J,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method relating to handover of a radio terminal connection from a serving base station associated with a serving cell to a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell served by a CSG base station, where only a radio terminal belonging to the CSG, as indicated by a radio terminal identifier qualifying the radio terminal as an authorized subscriber to the CSG, is permitted to access and receive service from the CSG cell, and where information is provided to radio terminals in the serving cell that identifies radio terminals that are not to report to the serving base station signal quality measurements of signals transmitted by the CSG base station, the method implemented in the serving base station comprising: determining that one of the radio terminals in the serving cell is authorized to access and receive service from the CSG cell; sending a message to the one radio terminal indicating that the CSG cell may be considered as a handover candidate for the radio terminal; based on a signal quality measurement report corresponding to the CSG base station, determining that a connection with the one radio terminal may be handed over to the CSG base station; and facilitating handover of the connection to the CSG base station, wherein radio terminals are informed not to report to the serving base station signal quality measurements of signals transmitted by the CSG base station using a first message that indicates that the CSG cell is a forbidden cell, and wherein the sending step includes sending a second subsequent message to the one radio terminal indicating that the one radio terminal should report signal quality measurements of signals transmitted by the CSG base station.