A methodology for assessing the vertical handover algorithms in heterogeneous wireless networks

The integration of heterogeneous access networks into a ubiquitous wireless environment has commenced. However, in contrast with homogeneous networks (e.g., GPRS or UMTS) where there are a lot of handover test-reference scenarios, extensive work has yet to be done for modelling the end-user mobility in heterogeneous wireless networks. This is partially due to the fact that thorough test-case emulations are complex in heterogeneous environments because the scenarios are difficult to put in practice; moreover, the handover algorithms' performances may also depend on the auxiliary mechanisms such as user profiling or decision parameters gathering. Therefore, in order to exclusively assess the vertical handover decision algorithms, we propose and develop a complete methodology and we investigate the associated mechanisms.