Mobile communication system and method of processing handoff for the same

A method of processing a handoff in a mobile communication system, comprising:

• arranging a gateway control station that accommodates all standards of a network provider region A and a network provider region B and a gateway base station that matches the communication channels of the gateway control station in a boundary area of the provider regions A and B;
• defining a handoff cell belonging to the gateway station by overlapping sectors belonging to respective base stations of the provider region A and the provider region B, wherein the sectors are overlapped with the same signal strength using an omni directional antenna;
• selecting a primary frequency group Fa-1 of the frequency groups Fa and a primary frequency group Fb-1 of another frequency groups Fb as frequency groups commonly used by the gateway base station;
• and
• processing a handoff in multiple stages that includes a soft handoff and a hard handoff when a mobile station moves from a sector of one of the regions A and B to a sector of the other of the regions passing through the handoff cell.

A method of processing a handoff in a mobile communication system, comprising:

• performing an intra-cell handoff of a call in a first communication system when a first sector of a first terminal base station the first system is included in an active set;
• performing a first soft handoff of the call from the first sector to one portion of a handoff cell is defined as at least a portion of two sectors that belong to two base stations of the two systems, when the one portion of the handoff cell is added in the active set;
• performing at least one of an inter-frequency handoff and inter-sector handoff of the call from the one portion to another portion of the handoff cell, when the first sector is dropped in the active set;
• and
• performing a second soft handoff of the call from the other portion of the handoff cell to a second sector of a second terminal base station of the second system, when the second base station is added in the active set.

A mobile communication system comprising:

• a controller for matching communication channels of at least two communication system regions and enabling handoff between the regions;
• a base station coupled in a boundary area of the at least two communication regions wherein said base station manages at least one sector of the boundary area and communicates with at least one base station located in one communication region and communicates with another base station located in another communication region;
• and
• the base station coupled in the boundary area communicates with the other base stations at a common frequency or frequencies and controls handoff between the other base stations in a handoff cell which is defined as at least a portion of two cell sectors that belong to the at least two base stations and uses the common frequency or frequencies.

A method of processing a handoff in a mobile communication system comprising:

• arranging a gateway control station that supports communication between network provider region A and a network provider region B and a gateway base station that matches the gateway control station in a boundary area of the provider regions A and B;
• defining a handoff cell assigned to the gateway control station by overlapping sectors that are serviced by base stations in provider regions A and B, wherein the sectors that are overlapped are provided with the same signal strength;
• selecting at least two primary frequency groups supported by the gateway base station;
• and
• processing a handoff in multiple stages that includes at least one soft handoff and at least one hard handoff when a mobile station moves from a sector of one of the regions A and B to a sector of the other of the regions passing through the handoff cell.