Advanced Handover Decision with Mobility Awareness for 5G/6G Mobile Networks in Ultra-Dense and Smart Cities Area

Sensors, 2026

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DOI 10.3390/s26144374
Data confidence 85 high
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Abstract

Fifth-generation advanced (5G-A) and sixth-generation (6G) networks in ultra-dense and smart cities offer an efficient solution for addressing the growing number of mobile users while ensuring high throughput and full coverage. However, the handover decision (HOD) remains a critical challenge in wireless networks, especially for high-speed users in millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication environments. The present paper proposes a mobility-awareness HOD algorithm that combines two decision algorithms: reference signal received power (RSRP) and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). The algorithm makes decisions based on real-time user experiences collected every 40 milliseconds during the user's mobility. The research was conducted using MATLAB 2023a and advanced 5G and 6G tools. All system settings, functions, mobility models, and simulation criteria were defined based on 3GPP specifications. The algorithm guarantees high-quality connectivity and smooth user transitions across 5G and 6G networks under diverse mobility conditions. The results show that Systems 2 and 4 minimize 96.97% and 99.99% of handover ping-pong (HOPP) compared with Systems 1 and 3. The simulation results reveal that the proposed algorithms in Systems 2 and 4 provide noticeable enhancements in network performance, with radio quality metrics of 16.32% and 8.04% for RSRP, 168.99% and 407.31% for SINR levels, and 55.11% and 16.04% improvements in throughput across various mobile speed scenarios compared with Systems 1 and 3.