The present invention provides method and apparatus for facilitating base station
selection/handover by a user terminal in a distributed (e.g., cellular-type) wireless
communication system. In accordance with one aspect, hysteresis is adaptively determined
as a function of the variance of receive signal strength fluctuations. In turn,
an adaptive hysteresis factor can be obtained and used for a subsequent handover
decision, for example, based on a cost function that takes into account the hysteresis.
In accordance with another aspect, base station selection depends on a number of
criteria, such as received signal strength, base station load, and estimated distance
between a receiving user terminal and one or more base stations.