An efficient femtocell-to-femtocell handover decision algorithm in LTE femtocell networks

Deployment of femtocells with a small coverage range in wireless networks leads to a frequent handover initiation. The problem is more crucial when femtocells operate in an open access mode. In addition, high speed users initiate unnecessary handovers as they stay in a femtocell for a short time. Taking the above challenges into account, the main goal of this paper is to reduce the number of frequent femtocell-to-femtocell handovers in an open access Long Term Evolution (LTE) network by increasing the time interval between handover triggers. Toward this goal, we propose a new handover decision algorithm which selects the most appropriate target femtocell for handover among many candidates by considering the Received Signal Strength (RSS) and the velocity of the user as decision criteria. Simulation results show about 1.8 times increasing in the time interval between handover triggers and 40% reduction in the amount of handovers in comparison with the traditional handover scheme.