Handover improvement using O-RAN near-RT RIC for network with coverage hole

Abstract

Handover is very crucial in cellular communication since it may interrupt data transmission. The traditional handover algorithm works well in ideal conditions, but it may fail in certain conditions such as coverage holes. In this letter, we present our simulation to improve handover performance using machine learning. We implement and perform novel modifications on Near-RT RIC, a new network element by O-RAN, to solve the target cell decision problem using a machine learning algorithm in a network with a coverage hole. We show that this solution is proven superior to the traditional handover algorithm.