Patent ID: 8570998

Claim:
A method performed by a source long term evolution (LTE) base station, the method comprising: buffering downlink user data packets for transmission to a mobile communication device in a buffer; sending the downlink user data packets to the mobile communication device; receiving uplink user data packets from the mobile communication device; receiving a handover response indicating a handover of the mobile communication device to a target base station; and selectively forwarding the downlink user data packets from said buffer to said target base station depending upon an RLC status report or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback information, wherein, in response to the receiving the handover response, the source LTE base station stops said sending the downlink user data packets to the mobile communication device and transmits a handover command to the mobile communication device, and wherein said receiving of uplink user data packets from the mobile communications device continues after the source LTE base station stops said sending the downlink user data packets.