DIP-MIP: Distributed individual paging extension for mobile IP in IP-based cellular networks

Abstract

The mobility-enabling protocol Mobile IP supports location registration but not paging. However, current cellular networks use registration as well as paging procedures to minimize signaling cost. Accordingly, an extension to Mobile IP using distributed individual paging, the so-called DIP-MIP, is proposed. In DIP-MIP, each mobile host derives its own paging area size by optimizing a signaling cost function based on its individual mobility pattern. The cost function itself may use either of two mobility models – fluid flow and random walk – and the performance of DIP-MIP is analyzed for both. The impact of various parameters on the DIP-MIP signaling cost is studied as well. The performance of DIP-MIP is shown to be superior to that of Mobile IP (MIP) in reducing signaling load, managing mobility and supporting a large number of mobile users in IP-based cellular networks.