Power control in wireless communications networks during hand-over

1. A method for adapting a transmission power level of a mobile terminal being in communication with a first base station during a handover process following which said mobile terminal will be communicating with a second base station, wherein said method comprises measuring at said mobile terminal one or more pre-defined operating parameters that characterize said first base station and storing their updated values within a storage means of said mobile terminal; adapting said transmission power level of said mobile terminal to an acceptable level at which communications transmitted from said terminal to said second base station would be properly received without applying further increase in the transmission power level of the mobile terminal; and wherein said communications transmitted to said second base station will not cause severe interference to communications exchanged between said second base station and other terminals communicating therewith, and wherein the step of adapting said transmission power level to an acceptable level is based on: (a) values of the operating parameters that characterize said first base station which are stored within the storage means of said mobile terminal, and (b) values of one or more pre-defined parameters characterizing said second base station as measured by said mobile terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , and comprising the steps of:

(i) at said mobile terminal measuring one or more pre-defined characterizing parameters associated with the operation of said first base station;

(ii) storing the values of said one or more pre-defined parameters associated with the operation of said first base station;

(iii) retrieving values of one or more predefined parameters associated with the operation of said second base station, from communications received at said mobile terminal;

(iv) calculating at said mobile terminal a required modification in the transmission power level of said terminal for communicating with said second base station; and

(v) setting the terminal's transmission power level in accordance with the determination made in step (iv).

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein step (iv) comprises a step of: determining whether a modification is required prior to calculating the required modification at said mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 2 , and wherein said pre-defined parameters associated with said first base station are one or more members of the group consisting of: power control parameters associated with said first base station and parameters characterizing the status of a communication link extending between said first base station and said terminal.

5. The method according to claim 2 , and wherein said pre-defined parameters associated with said second base station are one or more members of the group consisting of: power control parameters associated with said second base station; parameters characterizing the status of a communication link extending between said second base station and said terminal; and power control offset parameters.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of: applying parameters associated with power offset associated with communications exchanged between said mobile terminal and said first base station for adapting said power transmission level of said mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1 , and wherein the one or more pre-defined parameters characterizing said second base station as received by said mobile terminal, are retrieved from communications received at said mobile terminal.