Context-aware network selection in heterogeneous wireless networks

Abstract

Today, most handheld devices including smartphones, tablets and notebooks are equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE/4G radio interfaces that can allow connections to the Internet and other devices. However, given the properties changes of the radio environment and user mobility, an open question still lies in how to select the best access network interface, considering that the availability and characteristics of an access network will change in time. This paper describes a new intelligent interface selection mechanism based on analysis of contextual information obtained from the user, network environment, and device. To select the best available wireless network, the mechanism, named as CANS (Context-Aware Network Selection), allows for dynamic decision-making during the operation of a mobile device, taking into account different metrics such as price, local network capabilities, user preferences, and the mobile terminal capabilities. The evaluation of the proposed mechanism in a real environment shows that the adoption of selection strategies enables the best exploitation of the advantages on multiple access technologies, achieving a reduction in device power consumption and financial cost.