Adaptive Cell Pride Traffic Load Balancing for Reliable 5G Mmwave Handovers

Handover (HO) management in millimeter-wave (mmWave) fifth-generation (5G) networks faces critical challenges including limited propagation distance, blockage, and frequent disconnections, particularly in dense urban environments. Most existing solutions target high mobility scenarios, while dense urban traffic with low-speed heterogeneous environments and frequent stop-and-go scenarios remains under-explored. This study proposes a novel concept of cell pride where the neighbouring cells cooperate and select the best performing cell for each user equipment (UE) instead of competing with each other. Based on this idea, the Adaptive Cell Pride Traffic Load Balancing (ACPT-LB) framework is developed to enhance the reliability of handover and connection stability in 5G mmWave networks by combining cooperative cell selection, adaptive load balancing, and a neighbour discovery mechanism. The simulated results showed Handover Success Rate (HSR) of 100%, Ping-Pong Avoidance Rate (PPAR) of 100%, and Connection Stability (CS) of more than 88% for all simulations with UE densities ranging from 1000 to 5000, highlighting the effectiveness of the framework in low mobility and high-density urban environments. These results confirm that ACPT-LB offers a scalable and robust solution for mobility and traffic management in 5G and Beyond 5G networks.