A Handover Mechanism Using IEEE 802.21 in Heterogeneous 3G and Wireless Networks

Abstract

The IEEE 802.21 framework is a novel standard and the scope of this standard is to optimize and facilitate handover in heterogeneous networks. In this paper, we propose a handover mobility management by using the IEEE 802.21 to solve some handover issues, such as handover delay and packet loss, in homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. By setting certain signal thresholds and probability confidence to trigger the Link Going Down event, the proposed handover mechanism is capable of providing better handover efficiency and reducing the handover delay and possible packet loss during handover. The NS-2 simulation is conducted to verify the performance of our handover mobility management across 3G, WLAN and WiMAX heterogeneous networks.