A new architecture for performance-based policy management in heterogeneous wireless networks

The growth in the popularity of Internet services, increasing demands of mobile users together with a wide range of access technologies and mobile-networked devices, demands integration and inter-working of these heterogeneous access networks. Sometimes referred to as 4th generation (4G) networks, the overall objective is to provide a managed Always Best Connected (ABC) service over underlying heterogonous wireless and mobile platforms while maintaining negotiated security and Quality of Service (QoS) in an open and nonproprietary environment. This paper proposes a new model and its architecture which is based upon Policy-based Management (PBM) and provides a framework for the centralised management of networks based on business-level policies. However, it extends the basic PBM ideas to provide a "layered approach" which facilitates the negotiation of management services over interconnected heterogonous mobile platforms thus achieving an always best connected scenario. Finally this paper describes a proof-of-concept testbed which demonstrates the implementation of this model in practice.