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handoff
Last modified: Tuesday, September 19, 2006
(n.) The transfer of a cellular phone transmission from one radio frequency within a cell to another radio frequency in an adjacent cell. Handoffs occur when a cellular phone user passes out of the range that the cell can handle and into another cell’s range, and the signal is passed from one base station to the next. The handoff is transparent to the user and typically will not result in a loss of service unless the user moves out of range of a cell’s base station. The transition and the process required to make the transition are both referred to as the handoff.
(v.) To pass a cellular transmission from one cell to another.
Cellular Phone and Roaming Service Describes the basics of cell phones and how they work, an overview of the cell phone system, and what happens when a cell phone places a call. Also an FAQ.
