Handoff procedure in a mobile communication system

1. An integrated circuit to control a process performed by a mobile terminal to perform a handoff of the mobile terminal to a target base station, wherein the mobile terminal, under control of the target base station, communicates with the target base station via a target radio cell comprising a downlink carrier and an uplink carrier, the process comprising:

receiving a handoff command message for the handoff to the target base station including a handoff execution condition and a handoff validity timer; and

determining, based on the received handoff execution condition included in the handoff command message, whether the mobile terminal is to trigger execution of the handoff to the target base station;

wherein, the process includes responding to a determination that the mobile terminal is to trigger execution of the handoff to the target base station by executing the handoff to the target base station (a) by performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure with the target base station to thereby time align the uplink carrier of the target radio cell, and (b) by transmitting to the target base station a handoff complete message thereby indicating completion of the handoff to the target base station including completion of configuration of the mobile terminal for communication with the target base station via the target radio cell; and

wherein when the process does not, within a first configured period of time, determine that the mobile terminal is to trigger execution of the handoff to the target base station, the process includes:

discarding the received handoff command message; and

reconfiguring the first configured period of time based on the handoff validity timer.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile terminal, prior to receiving the handoff command message, communicates with a source base station via a source radio cell and the process includes:

receiving the handoff command message from the source base station via a downlink carrier of the source radio cell; and

after receiving the handoff command message, detaching the mobile terminal from the source radio cell thereby stopping communication with the source base station.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein,

the handoff execution condition, included in the received handoff command message, corresponds to a timer value; and

the process includes:

determining whether a timer with the timer value has expired; and

upon expiration of the timer with the timer value, triggering execution of the handoff to the target base station.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein,

the handoff execution condition, included in the received handoff command message, corresponds to an indication to trigger execution of the handoff based on threshold values for the signal strength or signal quality of a source and/or target radio cell; and

the process includes:

determining whether the signal strength or signal quality of the source radio cell falls below one of the threshold values and/or the signal strength or signal quality of the target radio cell rises above another of the threshold values; and upon the signal strength or signal quality having fallen below the one of the threshold values and/or having risen above the another of the threshold values, triggering execution of the handoff to the target base station.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein,

the handoff execution condition, included in the received handoff command message, corresponds to at least one threshold value for the signal strength or signal quality of a source and/or target radio cell; and

the process includes:

determining whether the signal strength or signal quality of the source radio cell falls below the at least one threshold value and/or the signal strength or signal quality of the target radio cell rises above the at least one threshold value; and upon the signal strength or signal quality having fallen below the at least one threshold value and/or having risen above the at least one threshold value, triggering execution of the handoff to the target base station.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 5 , wherein,

the threshold value for the signal strength corresponds to a threshold value for the reference signal received power (RSRP) to be measured by the mobile terminal based on reference signals (RSs) transmitted in the source and/or target radio cell; and

the threshold value for the signal quality corresponds to a threshold value for the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) to be measured by the mobile terminal based on reference signals (RSs) transmitted in the source and/or target radio cell.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein,

the handoff execution condition, included in the received handoff command message, corresponds to an indication to trigger execution of the handoff based on out-of-sync events where a channel quality of a source radio cell falls below an out-of-sync threshold (Qout); and

the process includes:

determining whether the number of out-of-sync events exceeds a configured number N; and

in response to a determination that the number of out-of-sync events exceeds the configured number N, triggering execution of the handoff to the target base station.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein,

the handoff execution condition, included in the received handoff command message, corresponds to a counter value for out-of-sync events where a channel quality of a source radio cell falls below an out-of-sync threshold (Qout); and

the process includes:

determining whether the number of out-of-sync events exceeds a received counter value; and

in response to a determination that the number of out-of-sync events exceeds the received counter value, triggering execution of the handoff to the target base station.

9. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the handoff command message corresponds to a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message.

10. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the handoff complete message corresponds to a RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message.

11. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the process includes:

responding to a determination, made within a second configured period of time, that the mobile terminal is to trigger execution of the handoff to the target base station, by executing the handoff to the target base station, the handoff including performing a contention-free RACH procedure based on a random access preamble included in the handoff command message; and

responding to a determination, made after expiry of the second configured period of time, that the mobile terminal is to trigger execution of the handoff to the target base station, by executing the handoff to the target base station, the handoff including performing a contention-based RACH procedure based on a random access preamble randomly selected by the mobile terminal.

12. The integrated circuit according to claim 11 , wherein,

the received handoff command message includes a RACH validity timer; and

the process includes re-configuring the second configured period of time based on the RACH validity timer.