diff --git a/bsc/BSC_Tests.ttcn b/bsc/BSC_Tests.ttcn
index 907b436..f203d95 100644
--- a/bsc/BSC_Tests.ttcn
+++ b/bsc/BSC_Tests.ttcn
@@ -6009,12 +6009,18 @@
 	f_MscConnHdlr_init(g_pars.media_nr, "127.0.0.2", "127.0.0.3", FR_AMR);
 	activate(as_Media());
 
-	BSSAP.send(ts_BSSAP_Conn_Req(g_pars.sccp_addr_bsc, g_pars.sccp_addr_msc,
-				     f_gen_handover_req(aoip_tla := g_pars.host_aoip_tla,
-							cell_id_source := g_pars.cell_id_source,
-							oldToNewBSSIEs := oldToNewBSSIEs,
-							enc := g_pars.encr)));
-	BSSAP.receive(RAN_Conn_Prim:MSC_CONN_PRIM_CONF_IND);
+	var PDU_BSSAP ho_req := f_gen_handover_req(aoip_tla := g_pars.host_aoip_tla,
+						   cell_id_source := g_pars.cell_id_source,
+						   oldToNewBSSIEs := oldToNewBSSIEs,
+						   enc := g_pars.encr);
+	if (g_pars.inter_bsc_ho_in__ho_req_in_initial_sccp_cr) {
+		BSSAP.send(ts_BSSAP_Conn_Req(g_pars.sccp_addr_bsc, g_pars.sccp_addr_msc, ho_req));
+		BSSAP.receive(RAN_Conn_Prim:MSC_CONN_PRIM_CONF_IND);
+	} else {
+		BSSAP.send(ts_BSSAP_Conn_Req(g_pars.sccp_addr_bsc, g_pars.sccp_addr_msc, omit));
+		BSSAP.receive(RAN_Conn_Prim:MSC_CONN_PRIM_CONF_IND);
+		BSSAP.send(ho_req);
+	}
 
 	alt {
 	[] BSSAP.receive(tr_BSSMAP_HandoverRequestAcknowledge(?)) -> value rx_bssap {
@@ -6686,6 +6692,16 @@
 	f_shutdown_helper();
 }
 
+/* An incoming inter-BSC HO can either issue the Handover Request message attached to the initial SCCP N-Connect (as in
+ * the other tests we have so far), or the first CR can be "empty" with the BSSAP request following later. Test the
+ * empty N-Connect case. */
+testcase TC_ho_into_this_bsc_sccp_cr_without_bssap() runs on test_CT {
+	var TestHdlrParams pars := f_gen_test_hdlr_pars();
+	pars.inter_bsc_ho_in__ho_req_in_initial_sccp_cr := false;
+	f_tc_ho_into_this_bsc_main(pars);
+	f_shutdown_helper();
+}
+
 type record of charstring Commands;
 
 private function f_bts_0_cfg(TELNETasp_PT pt, Commands cmds := {})
@@ -11347,6 +11363,7 @@
 	execute( TC_ho_in_fail_msc_clears_after_ho_detect() );
 	execute( TC_ho_in_fail_no_detect() );
 	execute( TC_ho_in_fail_no_detect2() );
+	execute( TC_ho_into_this_bsc_sccp_cr_without_bssap() );
 
 	execute( TC_ho_neighbor_config_1() );
 	execute( TC_ho_neighbor_config_2() );
diff --git a/bsc/MSC_ConnectionHandler.ttcn b/bsc/MSC_ConnectionHandler.ttcn
index 29b7783..95cdb7c 100644
--- a/bsc/MSC_ConnectionHandler.ttcn
+++ b/bsc/MSC_ConnectionHandler.ttcn
@@ -671,7 +671,8 @@
 	boolean		expect_channel_mode_modify,
 	uint3_t		expect_tsc optional,
 	BSSMAP_IE_CellIdentifier	cell_id_source,
-	boolean		expect_ho_fail
+	boolean		expect_ho_fail,
+	boolean		inter_bsc_ho_in__ho_req_in_initial_sccp_cr
 };
 
 /* Note: Do not use valueof() to get a value of this template, use
@@ -712,7 +713,8 @@
 	expect_channel_mode_modify := false,
 	expect_tsc := omit,
 	cell_id_source := valueof(ts_CellID_LAC_CI(1, 1)),
-	expect_ho_fail := false
+	expect_ho_fail := false,
+	inter_bsc_ho_in__ho_req_in_initial_sccp_cr := true
 }
 
 function f_create_chan_and_exp(template (present) PDU_BSSAP exp_l3_compl := ?)
diff --git a/library/RAN_Emulation.ttcnpp b/library/RAN_Emulation.ttcnpp
index 295876e..d87ee9c 100644
--- a/library/RAN_Emulation.ttcnpp
+++ b/library/RAN_Emulation.ttcnpp
@@ -439,9 +439,9 @@
 type record BSSAP_Conn_Req {
 	SCCP_PAR_Address	addr_peer,
 	SCCP_PAR_Address	addr_own,
-	PDU_BSSAP		bssap
+	PDU_BSSAP		bssap optional
 }
-template BSSAP_Conn_Req ts_BSSAP_Conn_Req(SCCP_PAR_Address peer, SCCP_PAR_Address own, PDU_BSSAP bssap) := {
+template BSSAP_Conn_Req ts_BSSAP_Conn_Req(SCCP_PAR_Address peer, SCCP_PAR_Address own, template (omit) PDU_BSSAP bssap) := {
 	addr_peer := peer,
 	addr_own := own,
 	bssap := bssap