Integrated handoff scheme of FMIPv6 and MAC protocol in 4th generation systems

Abstract

Recently, motivated by users demands for higher mobility and bandwidth, there are active researches on 4G systems. The requirements of 4G systems are all-IP based networks with cellular architecture and IP mobility supports to users. In this network, the L2 handoff scheme should be designed carefully and consider the L3 handoff scheme to reduce the handoff latency. The L2 and L3 handoff schemes in current wireless networks are performed separately, keeping the layer independence, which results in longer handoff latency. In this paper, we analyze handoff schemes of current wireless networks and design the handoff scheme for a 4G system including a handoff detection method. An integration method of the FMIPv6 protocol with the proposed L2 handoff scheme is also proposed, which can reduce the handoff latency and the number of control messages exchanged between the MN and the network