Radio access device and handover method

A handover method of a radio access device that functions as a Home Node B Gateway, wherein the Home Node B Gateway being a first upper layer node of a Home Node B of a femtocell, and that performs mobility control for causing user equipment to perform a handover to a macrocell, the user equipment being served by the femtocell, the radio access device comprising:

• a controller signal processing unit that processes a controller signal exchanged with a radio network controller through an interface between the radio network controller and the radio access device, the radio network controller being a second upper layer node of a macro base station of the macrocell;
• and
• a switching center signal processing unit that processes a switching center signal exchanged with a switching center, the switching center being a third upper layer node of the radio network controller,
• wherein the handover method includes steps such that the controller signal processing unit requests to establish a first communication path between the radio access device and the radio network controller and a second communication path between the radio network controller and the macro base station by transmitting a first request signal to the radio network controller,
• subsequent to the controller signal processing unit receiving a first acknowledgement signal corresponding to the first request signal from the radio network controller, the switching center signal processing unit requests to establish a third communication path between the switching center and the radio network controller by transmitting a second request signal to the switching center, and
• subsequent to the switching center processing unit receiving a second acknowledgement signal corresponding to the second request signal from the switching center, a fourth communication path between the radio access device and the switching center is released.

A radio access device that functions as a Home Node B Gateway, wherein the Home Node B Gateway being a first upper layer node of a Home Node B of a femtocell, and that performs mobility control for causing user equipment to perform a handover to the femtocell, the user equipment being served by a macrocell, the radio access device comprising:

• a controller signal processing unit that processes a controller signal exchanged with a radio network controller through an interface between the radio network controller and the radio access device, the radio network controller being a second upper layer node of the macrocell;
• a switching center signal processing unit that processes a switching center signal with a switching center, the switching center being a third upper layer node of the radio network controller;
• and
• a base station signal processing unit that establishes a first communication path between the radio access device and the user equipment when information of the user equipment received by the controller signal processing unit from the radio network controller indicates that the user equipment is allowed to communicate with the femtocell,
• wherein the switching center signal processing unit establishes a second communication path between the radio access device and the switching center, in response to a first request signal from the switching center.

A handover method of a radio access device that functions as a Home Node B Gateway, the Home Node B Gateway being a first upper layer node of a Home Node B of a femtocell, and that performs mobility control for causing user equipment to perform a handover to the femtocell, the user equipment being served in a macrocell, the hand over method comprising:

• receiving information of the user equipment by a controller signal processing unit, wherein the controller signal processing unit processes a controller signal exchanged with a radio network controller through an interface between the radio network controller and the radio access device, the radio network controller being a second upper layer node of a macro base station of the macrocell;
• determining whether the user equipment is allowed to communicate in the femtocell;
• establishing a first communication path between the radio access device and the user equipment when the user equipment is allowed to communication in the femtocell;
• and
• establishing a second communication path between the radio access device and a switching center by a switching center signal processing unit, in response to a request signal from the switching center, wherein the switching center signal processing unit processes a switching center signal exchanged with the switching center, the switching center being a second upper layer node of the radio network controller.