A built-in memory model for reducing location update cost in mobile wireless networks

Abstract

This paper proposes a new model for reducing the signaling and database access traffic due to users' mobility in wireless networks. It requires a small built-in memory in the Mobile Unit (MU) that stores the same location data (MU's location area address) as in the Home Location Register (HLR). When the MU changes its Location Area (LA), it queries the LA whose address is stored in the MU built-in memory to create a pointer between that LA and the MU's current LA. Hence, no location update operation is performed in the HLR. When the MU is called, its HLR is queried to determine its LA. If the MU no longer resides in that LA, then its current LA is reached by traversing a single pointer. Preliminary results show that the proposed model may result in significant reductions in location update costs and outperforms the IS-41 scheme whenever the higher level elements of the SS7 network constitute the performance bottleneck.