Patent ID: 8060097

Claim:
In a wireless-communication network defining a plurality of wireless coverage areas for serving a plurality of mobile nodes on a plurality of carriers, wherein the wireless-communication network initially serves a candidate mobile node on a first carrier, a method comprising: determining that hard-handoff criteria are met for the candidate mobile node; identifying one or more neighboring mobile nodes, wherein each neighboring mobile node (i) communicates with the wireless-communication network on a second carrier and (ii) is located within a threshold distance of a location of the candidate mobile node; receiving, from each neighboring mobile node, a measurement of a forward-link signal quality of the second carrier as determined at each respective neighboring mobile node; using the one or more received forward-link-signal-quality-measurements to determine an estimated forward-link signal quality of the second carrier at the location of the candidate mobile node; and if the estimated forward-link signal quality of the second carrier at the location of the candidate mobile node exceeds a signal-quality threshold, providing hard-handoff information about the second carrier to the candidate mobile node.