Base station buffer requirements for handover traffic processing in ATM-based wireless networks

In this paper, we propose a handover mechanism suitable for loss-sensitive and delay-sensitive traffic in ATM-based wireless networks. The handover mechanism is based on buffering of cells at the base station destination buffer and assignment of entry and exit priority to loss-sensitive and delay-sensitive traffic types respectively. Performance of the proposed handover scheme is analyzed using the theory of Markov chains, and the main analytic results are expressions for cell loss probability and base station overload probability. The results are useful for determining the buffer space required to achieve a desired cell loss probability and also for setting the buffer threshold for overload detection at a base station.