Patent ID: 8169971

Claim:
A base station apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory, wherein the processor executes: first determining whether a direct link has been established between the base station apparatus and another base station apparatus, when a mobile device makes a request to switch a communication recipient from the base station apparatus to the other base station apparatus; acquiring, indirectly from the other base station apparatus, link information necessary for establishing the direct link to the other base station apparatus, when the first determining determines that no direct link to the other base station apparatus has been established; first requesting the other base station apparatus to establish the direct link to the base station apparatus, based on the link information of the other base station apparatus acquired by the acquiring; counting a number of handovers made using the direct link to the other base station apparatus established in response to the first requesting, or a number of handovers made using an indirect link to the other base station apparatus, the handovers being made by a plurality of mobile devices each switching a communication recipient from the base station apparatus to the other base station apparatus; and second determining whether the number of handovers counted by the counting and made using the indirect link to the other base station apparatus exceeds a predetermined number, wherein the first requesting requests the other base station apparatus to establish the direct link to the base station apparatus, when the second determining determines that the number of handovers made using the indirect link to the other base station apparatus exceeds the predetermined number.