Simulation of Performance Execution Procedure to Improve Seamless Vertical Handover in Heterogeneous Networks

One challenge of wireless networks integration is the ubiquitous wireless access abilities which provide the seamless handover for any moving communication device between different types of technologies (3GPP and non-3GPP) such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). This challenge is important as Mobile Users (MUs) are becoming increasingly demanding for services regardless of technological complexities associated with it. To fulfill these requirements for seamless Vertical Handover (VHO) two main interworking architectures have been proposed by European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) for integration between different types of technologies; namely, loose and tight coupling. On the other hand, Media Independent Handover IEEE 802.21 (MIH) is a framework which has been proposed by IEEE Group to provide seamless VHO between the aforementioned technologies by utilizing these interworking architectures to facilitate and complement their works. The paper presents the design and the simulation of a Mobile IPv4 (MIPv4) based procedure for loose coupling architecture with MIH to optimize performance in heterogeneous wireless networks. The simulation results show that the proposed procedure provides seamless VHO with minimal latency and zero packet loss ratio. Keywords—Vertical Handover (VHO); Media Independent Handover (MIH); Interworking Architectures; Mobile IPv4 (MIPv4); Heterogeneous Wireless Networks