Abstract: A method and system for monitoring traffic in a mobile communication network are disclosed which identify geographically regions of high traffic concentration or “hot spots”. This is done to allow the traffic distribution within a given area to be analysed so that network operators can retrieve information concerning the places where more capacity is needed. The hot spots are located by analysing reports from the mobile stations to identify the most often occurring cell patterns. These cell patterns can be associated with geographical locations which can then be visually displayed to identify the hot spots.

Abstract: A method and system of controlling handover in a mobile communication network is described. According to the described technique, the selection of one of a plurality of handover alternatives is based on pre-stored probability indicators which indicate a likely probability of success if handover is effected to that handover alternative. The technique also involves the use of a monitoring period which monitors both the instant and the selected traffic channel for a period surroundding handover to provide data for subsequent use in selecting handover alternatives.