Method and apparatus for managing cell-by-cell demodulation timings of a user equipment in an asynchronous mobile telecommunication system

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are provided for managing cell-by-cell demodulation timing of an asynchronous user equipment (UE) for demodulating multipath signals, received from a plurality of cells, in a plurality of fingers. Mapping information, indicating fingers mapped on a cell-by-cell basis, and demodulation information and demodulation timing information for the plurality of cells are acquired. The fingers are grouped on a cell-by-cell basis according to the mapping information. Demodulation information for an associated cell is provided to each of the grouped fingers. A signal received from the associated cell is demodulated in the grouped fingers by using the demodulation information for the associated cell. System load and costs can be reduced by managing demodulation timings on a cell-by-cell basis in the UE that simultaneously perform data transmission/reception with the cells in which transmission timings are different from each other in a soft handover situation in an asynchronous mobile telecommunication system.