Abstract
Heterogeneous networks combine different access technologies. An important problem in such networks is the selection of the most suitable radio access network. To perform this task efficiently, a lot of information is required, such as signal strength, QoS, monetary cost, battery consumption, and user preferences. These are well known issues and a considerable effort has been made to tackle them using a number of solutions. These efforts improve the performance of vertical handover but also add considerable complexity. In this paper, we introduce an enhanced algorithm for radio access network selection, which is simple, flexible and applicable to future mobile systems. Its main characteristics are the distribution of the radio access selection process among the mobile terminal and the core network, the evaluation of mobile terminal connections separately and the primary role of user preferences in the final decision. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated through simulation results, which show that the algorithm provides a high rate of user satisfaction. It decreases the messages required for the vertical handovers in the whole network and it alleviates the core network from the processing of unnecessary requests.
Highlights
The expected evolution of mobile communications will offer several radio access technologies (RATs) with different characteristics served by a common core network
This paper presents a network selection solution for integrated UMTS and WLAN mobile networks
It evaluates each active connection of every mobile terminal (MT) separately, as a different HO case
Summary
The expected evolution of mobile communications will offer several radio access technologies (RATs) with different characteristics served by a common core network. Policybased schemes may involve several network entities and they can offer a simple or a more sophisticated solution based on rules that are mapped to actions taken when specific events occur These events involve the change of various parameters, some of which are static (they do not change over time) and some dynamic (their values change), that have to be considered in the heterogeneous network. The network operator will decide based on this list and the values of another set of parameters such as the user speed and location, and the congestion of a target RAT All these issues are explained in detail in the forthcoming sections.
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More From: International Journal of Communications, Network and System Sciences
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