Systems, methods, and devices for reduced handover data interruption

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a base station, the instructions to cause the base station to:

• operate as a source base station during a handover (HO) process handing over a user equipment (UE) to a target base station;
• provide downlink (DL) data to the UE following transmission of an HO command to the UE;
• initiate an HO event timer and access event estimate information to estimate the occurrence of the HO event, the event estimate information comprising an expected time duration between two time events or a time-of-day value;
• forward DL data to the target base station responsive to detecting a forward DL data event during the HO process;
• detect one of stop DL data events during the HO process by estimating an occurrence of the HO event;
• and
• terminate providing of the DL data to the UE responsive to the detecting of one of the stop DL data events;
• wherein the stop DL data events comprises a first stop DL data event of loss of acknowledgment for DL data from the UE and a second stop DL data event of loss of status report from the UE.

An apparatus of a source base station, comprising:

• at least one memory;
• and
• logic for the source base station, the logic comprised in hardware coupled to the at least one memory, the logic configured to:
• initiate a handover (HO) process via a handover command to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target base station,
• provide downlink (DL) data to the UE following transmission of the HO command,
• initiate an HO event timer and access event estimate information to estimate the occurrence of the HO event, the event estimate information comprising an expected time duration between two time events or a time-of-day value;
• provide DL data to the target base station responsive to detecting a forward DL data event during the HO process;
• detect one of a set of stop DL data event by estimating an occurrence of an HO event during the HO process;
• and
• terminate providing the DL data to the UE responsive to detecting one of the set of stop DL data events,
• wherein the set of stop DL data events comprises a first stop DL data event of transmission of a sequence number (SN) status transfer message to the target base station and a second data event of receipt of a message from the target base station that a random access channel (RACH) procedure being performed by the UE.