System and method for providing handover to an ambiguous small cell access point in a network environment

One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logic that include instructions for execution by a processor, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform operations, comprising:

• receiving a request to relocate a particular user equipment (UE) from a source macro radio to an ambiguous small cell access point, wherein the request includes, at least in part, a first target cell identity (ID) encoded with a source macro cell identifier for the source macro radio and a target sub-carrier identifier for the ambiguous small cell access point, wherein the first target cell ID is 24-bits in length in which one of the target sub-carrier identifier is 4-bits in length or the source macro cell identifier is 16-bits or 20-bits in length;
• determining by a small cell gateway a common channel for a plurality of small cell base stations to receive relocation of the particular UE, wherein each of the plurality of small cell base stations are associated with a different cell and wherein each of the plurality of small cell base stations are configured with a plurality of common channels that can each receive relocation of UE;
• communicating a relocation request message identifying the common channel to each of the plurality of small cell base stations;
• receiving a relocation detection response message associated with the particular UE from a particular small cell base station;
• and
• communicating a relocation complete message to a service provider network upon receiving the relocation detection response message.

A system, comprising:

• a small cell gateway;
• a memory element for storing data;
• and
• a processor for executing instructions associated with the data, wherein the executing causes the system to perform operations, comprising:
• receiving a request to relocate a particular user equipment (UE) from a source macro radio to an ambiguous small cell access point, wherein the request includes, at least in part, a first target cell identity (ID) encoded with a source macro cell identifier for the source macro radio and a target sub-carrier identifier for the ambiguous small cell access point, wherein the first target cell ID is 24-bits in length in which one of the target sub-carrier identifier is 4-bits in length or the source macro cell identifier is 16-bits or 20-bits in length;
• determining by the small cell gateway a common channel for a plurality of small cell base stations to receive relocation of the particular UE, wherein each of the-plurality of small cell base stations are associated with a different cell and wherein each of the plurality of small cell base stations are configured with a plurality of common channels that can each receive relocation of UE;
• communicating a relocation request message identifying the common channel to each of the plurality of small cell base stations;
• receiving a relocation detection response message associated with the particular UE from a particular small cell base station;
• and
• communicating a relocation complete message to a service provider network upon receiving the relocation detection response message.