A Study On Lte To 3g Radio Access Technologies Handover In The Case Of Ethiopia

Abstract

Long Term Evolution (LTE) Is A Fourth-Generation Cellular Network Technology That Providesimproved Network Performance (Spectrum Efficiency, Latency, And User Data Rates) Compared Tolegacy Cellular Systems Such As The Third Generation (3G) Network.Field Test Measurements Are Performed In Real Environmental Conditions To Study And Analyze Theperformance Of The Network Regarding Handover From LTE To 3G Networks In Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. Currently, LTE Is Deployed Based On Service Hotspots Covering Only Addis Ababa Areawhile The 3G Network Is Deployed Throughout The Country. It Is Expected That Full Scaledeployment Of LTE Takes A Considerable Amount Of Time Which Implies Mobile Users Mustprimarily Depend On Legacy 3G And 2G Networks For Some Future Years. Therefore, It Is Importantto Study The Handover Mechanisms Between LTE And Legacy Networks To Provide Seamlessmobility And Uninterrupted User Services In The Available LTE Area.In General, Handover From LTE To 3G, And Vice Versa, Is Possible. However, LTE?�?S Higherpriority Over 3G Allows A New User (LTE Capable) To Join LTE At First. When The User Beginsmoving Towards Cell Edge, LTE Signal Strength Declines Reaching A Point Where Handoverbecomes A Necessity. But, By Design (Few LTE Sites), The Coverages Of Neighboring LTE Cells Donot Overlap With That Of The Serving LTE Cell. Consequently, The Service Must Be Handed Over Tothe 3G Network Which Can Be Co-Located With LTE Or At A Different Cell.On The Other Hand, A User Accessing The 3G Network Can Move Seamlessly Without The Needfor Inter-RAT Handover As The 3G Network Has A Full Coverage. This Thesis Focuses On LTE To 3Ghandover Because 3G Service Continuity Can Be Assured Without Handovers From 3G To LTE, Ofcourse Involving Intra-Technology Handover (3G To 3G). That Means, When A User Equipmentpowers Up, It Accesses The Preferred Network (LTE) And Then The Service Will Be Transferred To Thenext Preferred Network (3G) When The Usermoves Away From LTE Coverage Area. The Reverse, 3Gto LTE Handover, Takes Place Only When The User Equipmentneeds To Access High-Speed Data Whileit Was Using 3G?�?S Voice Service In The Case Of Ethiopian Network. As A Result, User Quality Ofexperience (Qoe) Can Be More Affected By LTE To 3G Handover Than The Opposite. Therefore, Themost Likely And The Most Network Performance Affecting Scenario ?�? LTE To 3G Handover ?�? Isstudied In This Thesis.