The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed all Wireless Local Loop (WLL) operators to implement single-cell limited mobility as per solution defined in a determination issued by the authority to resolve the issue of limited mobility.
The authority in its detailed determination has given 45 days to WLL operators to ensure implementation of limited mobility and a compliance report would also be submitted to the authority by them in this regard.
The comprehensive determination came out after extensive deliberations with cellular mobile companies and WLL operators, telecom experts, solution providers of international repute and academia.
The solution to the issue of limited mobility, the determination provides real spirit of the Telecommunication Deregulation Policy 2003, which says that WLL licensees who opt for wireless solutions may provide limited mobility within a cell, but not beyond local call charging radius. No inter-cell handovers and roaming to other networks will be allowed.
It may be important to mention here that the handover, which is restricted under the policy, is an event in radio network in which the control of a call in progress is transferred from one cell to another cell or from one frequency to another frequency.
Under the determination issued by the PTA, inter-cell handover and inter frequency handover from 450-1900 MHz or 479 MHz, etc, would not be allowed.
Furthermore, the call in progress would be dropped in the case of crossing over into the neighbouring cell.
Soft-handoff which is an event in radio network's home-cell during which the terminal equipment may superimpose other signals belonging to the single allocated frequency band over the home-cell signal while a call is in progress to improve QoS within home-cell has been allowed.