An Efficient Vertical Handoff Technique for Two- Tier Heterogeneous Networks

Integration of cellular networks and Wireless local area networks (WLANs) will be very useful for development of fourth generation communication technologies. The integration of two or more networks would be done by employing techniques of vertical handoff across different radio access networks. Internetworking system can offer users with ubiquitous connectivity as well as high-speed data access in high user density locations known as “Hotspots”. We propose a simple vertical handoff technique using these interface switching mechanisms to enable transparent roaming across these two complementary access networks. Simulation studies show that our proposed approach results in a better vertical handoff experience as compared to existing techniques. Keywords-Two tier Heterogeneous networks, WLAN, UMTS, MN and vertical handoff.