Compensation for mobile assisted handoff measurement inaccuracies

A cellular system, comprising:

• first network means for transmitting a neighbor list to a mobile station identifying a plurality of channels for the mobile station to make downlink signal strength measurements on, the neighbor list including:
• an identification of a plurality of reference channels, the reference channels comprising the reference channels for each of a plurality of neighboring cells;
• and
• an identification of a reference channel for a currently serving cell;
• mobile station means for receiving the transmitted neighbor list, making downlink signal strength measurements on the channels identified therein, and reporting the measured signal strengths;
• and
• second network means for adjusting the reported signal strength measurements made on the reference channels for each of the neighboring cells by a compensation factor determined from the reported signal strength measurement made on the reference channel for the currently serving cell.

A method for evaluating mobile station made handoff related signal strength measurements comprising the steps of:

• receiving downlink received signal strength measurements made by the mobile station on:
• a reference channel for each of a plurality of neighboring cells;
• a traffic channel handling an ongoing call communication for the mobile station within a currently serving cell;
• and
• a reference channel for the currently serving cell;
• calculating a compensation factor by subtracting the mobile station made downlink signal strength measurement on the reference channel for the currently serving cell from the mobile station made downlink signal strength measurement on the traffic channel handling the ongoing call communication within the currently serving cell;
• and
• adding the compensation factor to each of the mobile station made downlink signal strength measurements on the reference channels for the neighboring cells in order to generate compensated downlink signal strength measurements.