Question: What is a key characteristic of the Handover Preparation procedure in E-UTRAN, specifically regarding its occurrence for a User Equipment (UE) at any given time?
Option 1: Multiple Handover Preparation procedures can be initiated simultaneously for different UEs.
Option 2: The procedure is exclusively triggered by the UE itself without EPC involvement.
Option 3: Only one Handover Preparation procedure can be ongoing at a time for a specific UE.
Option 4: It requires direct communication between the source and target cells without EPC intervention.
Explanation: This correct answer highlights an important aspect of handover management in E-UTRAN, ensuring that for any given User Equipment (UE), resource preparation at the target side is coordinated in a serialized manner to prevent potential conflicts or misallocations. This serialization is crucial for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of the handover process within the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) framework.