Handover in a wireless telecommunication network environment

Non-transitory tangible media that includes instructions for execution, which when executed by a processor, is operable to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a handover request from a first eNB for an application executing at a UE in a LTE wireless network environment, wherein the handover request is sent by the first eNB to a second eNB and includes an indication of mandatory bearers required by the application for using a PDN connection associated with the handover request, wherein the mandatory bearers comprise a portion of a plurality of bearers, wherein the mandatory bearers are specific to the application, wherein the indication comprises an additional bit in the handover request that is set only for mandatory bearers;
• determining, at the second eNB, whether all the mandatory bearers required by the application indicated in the handover request can be accepted at the second eNB, wherein the determining comprises examining the additional bit in the handover request at the second eNB;
• and
• responding by the second eNB to the first eNB with a handover preparation failure message when all the mandatory bearers required by the application cannot be accepted at the second eNB.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a memory element for storing data;
• and
• a processor, wherein the processor executes instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate, such that the apparatus is configured for:
• receiving a handover request from a first eNB for an application executing at a UE in a LTE wireless network environment, wherein the handover request is sent by the first eNB to a second eNB and includes an indication of mandatory bearers required by the application for using a PDN connection associated with the handover request, wherein the mandatory bearers comprise a portion of a plurality of bearers, wherein the mandatory bearers are specific to the application, wherein the indication comprises an additional bit in the handover request that is set only for mandatory bearers;
• determining, at the second eNB, whether all the mandatory bearers required by the application indicated in the handover request can be accepted at the second eNB, wherein the determining comprises examining the additional bit in the handover request at the second eNB;
• and
• responding by the second eNB to the first eNB with a handover preparation failure message when all the mandatory bearers required by the application cannot be accepted at the second eNB.