Vertical Handoff Decision Algorithm for Integrated UMTS and LEO Satellite Networks

As one standard of third generation (3G) cellular network, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) can be integrated with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks. With such a system, mobile phones could for example benefit from a global coverage anywhere and anytime by using LEO satellite networks in remote areas not covered by UMTS cellular networks. For this interworking communication system, we provide a possible network architecture and we design and develop a Vertical Handoff Decision Algorithm (VHDA) which will decide when it is best to perform a vertical handoff for a mobile user in the overlaid area between these two networks. The VHDA will depend on two leading factors: the performance of Quality of Service (QoS) of both networks and the cost of handoffs. We also simulate this scheme using MATLAB.

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