Patent ID: 11019543

Abstract:
A method for managing handover procedure in a radio access network (RAN) includes initiating, by a source base station, a handover procedure for a first user equipment with a target base station, wherein the first user equipment is connected to the source base station; identifying, by the source base station, a second user equipment that functions as a relay device, for relaying data related to the first user equipment from the source base station to the first user equipment during the handover procedure; establishing, by the source base station, a first connection between the identified second user equipment and the first user equipment; transmitting, by the source base station, buffered data corresponding to the first user equipment, to the target base station; transmitting, by the source base station, at least one block of data from the buffered data to the first user equipment, via the second user equipment, during the handover procedure for the first user equipment from the source base station to the target base station; and disconnecting, by the source base station, the established first connection between the second user equipment and the first user equipment, upon receiving a sequence number (SN) status request message from the target base station.