Patent ID: 7162246

Claim:
Access network node for covering a mobile telecommunication zone, comprising at least a first multisector antenna arranged to transmit and receive in several first main directions on one and the same first fixed frequency usable to multiplex a first multitude of channels for communications with mobiles each situated in a first sector having on either side of one of the first main directions, a common border with another first sector, wherein said access network node comprises: a second multisector antenna situated at the same place as the first multisector antenna and arranged to transmit and receive in several second main directions on one and the same second fixed frequency usable to multiplex a second multitude of channels for communications wit mobiles each situated in a second sector having on either side of one of the second main directions, a common border with another second sector, each second main direction being on the axis of a border between two first sectors so that each border between two second sectors is on the axis of a first main direction; means arranged to trigger a hard handover from a channel of the first multitude to a channel of the second multitude for a mobile which is approaching a border common to two first sectors and to trigger a hard handover from a channel of the second multitude to a channel of the first multitude for a mobile which is approaching a border common to two second sectors, wherein said means is also arranged to trigger a soft handover from a channel of the first multitude, respectively of the second multitude, to a channel of a third multitude, respectively of a fourth multitude of channels multiplexed on the first fixed frequency on the basis of another first multisector antenna, respectively on the second fixed frequency on the basis of another second multisector antenna belonging to another similar network node for covering an adjoining zone when a mobile which is using a channel of the first multitude, respectively of the second multitude, is approaching the adjoining zone.