An efficient monitoring strategy for intersystem handover from TD-SCDMA to GSM networks

Abstract

This paper deals with intersystem handover between third and second generation mobile radio systems. Here, we propose an efficient monitoring strategy for acquisition of both frequency correction channels (FCCH) and synchronization channels (SCH) of a GSM system by user equipment (UE) connected to a time division-synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) network. The proposed strategy, which is based on a discontinuous search, exploits the properties of periodicity of TD-SCDMA and GSM radio frames. The proposed strategy proves to be very efficient in the utilization of the monitoring windows and allows us to acquire a number of FCCH/SCH bursts which is comparable with that achievable by adopting a continuous (unrealistic) monitoring strategy taken as reference.