Fast and secure handover schemes based on proposed WiMAX over EPON network security architecture

In recent years, the integration of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) has become one of the most promising broadband access solutions. The EPON network provides tremendous bandwidth while the WiMAX network can support mobility. Integration of PON and WiMAX combines the best of both technologies. However, the integration requires advanced secure mechanisms to overcome vulnerabilities of wireless mobile protocols. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end network architecture based on WiMAX over EPON networks, and we present a security framework that adopts the RSA protocol and the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). We introduce three handover scenarios in the integrated network and propose the corresponding handover schemes. In the proposed handover schemes, we utilize a pre-authentication method for the authorization key (AK) pre-distribution, and we use the communication framework of the ranging step to implement mutual authentication between the subscriber and the mobile network. Through our analysis, we show that the proposed handover mechanisms can simplify and accelerate the handover process compared to the standard WiMAX handover scheme while keeping the handover procedure secure.