Handover in mobile communication networks: who is in control anyway?

The migration from 3rd generation mobile communication networks to 4th generation, purely IP-based networks leads to new chances, but also great risks for the traditional mobile network operators, as competition increases dramatically. While this competition potentially improves the cost-value ratio for mobile users, they might well find their freedom of seamless session mobility abruptly end at the administrative borders of wireless Internet service providers. We describe a possible and in our opinion likely scenario for future mobile wireless access, point out the inherent problem of current IP mobility management schemes when it comes to inter-provider handovers, have a look at why control over this process is currently shared between the network and the mobile end-devices, and describe approaches to shift the major part of control back to the user.