• Handoff (or handover) is a control process initiated when a mobile moves from its current cell to its neighboring cell.
• A user of a mobile phone will be moving continuously. In such a situation, the mobile connection should also remain intact especially if the user is currently using the phone.
• This transfer of connection from one cell to another should be quick and in such a manner that user doesn’t actually realize that a handoff has happened.
• There are four basic types of handoffs in GSM network:
- Intra-cell handover:
- Such a kind of handover is performed to optimize the traffic load in the cell or to improve quality of a connection by changing carrier frequency.
2.Inter-cell handover:
- It is also known as Intra-BSC handover.
- Here the mobile moves from one cell to another but remains within the same BSC (Base station controller).
- Here the BSC handles the handover process
3.Inter-BSC handover:
- It is also called as Intra-MSC handover.
- As BSC can control only a limited number of cells, we might usually need to transfer a mobile from one BSC to another BSC.
- Here the MSC handles the handover process.
4.Inter-MSC handover:
- It occurs when a mobile moves from one MSC region to another MSC.
- MSC cover a large area. It can be imagined as a handover from Maharashtra MSC to Gujarat MSC while travelling.