Learn in the textbookInfrastructure Foundations of Mobile Communications
DefinitionHandover (ハンドオーバー) moves a traveling device's connection to another base station so that communication carries on unbroken.
ExplanationOne station's cell only goes so far, so a device that keeps moving eventually enters the next cell. The switch can happen in the middle of a call or data session, and users often do not notice.
AnalogyPicture the baton in a relay race. The runner (base station) changes, but the baton (communication) keeps moving without stopping.
Memory hookIn everyday English, "hand over" literally means passing something across by hand.