Patent ID: 6876853

Claim:
A method for performing a handover procedure for a mobile station communicating in a communication network and being movable therein, said communication network comprising a plurality of base transceiver stations being adapted to perform a communication with said mobile station within a coverage area of a respective one of said base transceiver stations, said method comprising the steps of processing location information related to the mobile station by comparing position information of the mobile station with position information related to the base transceiver stations, deciding on the basis of the result of said processing of said location information, whether a first handover condition based on said location information is fulfilled or not, wherein said first handover condition is based on said location information and indicates that a handover is necessary for establishing or maintaining the communication between the mobile station and the communication network, when the first handover condition is not fulfilled, checking subscriber specifications, whether or not another measurement, which is related to a handover and is not based on said location information, is to be performed, wherein said another measurement results in a determination of a second handover condition indicating that a handover is necessary for establishing or maintaining the communication between the mobile station and the communication network, selecting a measurement of availability of traffic channels as the type of the further measurement, if the another measurement is to be performed, executing the measurement of availability of traffic channels selected in said selecting step, verifying, whether the measurement of availability of traffic channels results in a second handover condition, and if the result of said verifying step indicates that the second handover condition is fulfilled, designating a next base transceiver station in said communication network, to which the communication with said mobile station is to be directed from a current base transceiver station, when the first handover or the second handover condition is fulfilled, triggering a handover of the communication connection of the mobile station from the current base transceiver station to the next base transceiver station designated in said designating step, and performing the handover.