Performance Analysis of Multi-level Vertical Handover in Wireless Heterogeneous Networks

The quest for high data rates, mobility and QoS has witness the integration of diverse wireless network systems in providing services to mobile users anywhere and at all-time. The convergence of these networks makes it possible for the mobile user equipment to roam seamlessly across the heterogeneous networks with session continuity. However, the integration comes with its own difficulties of selecting the right target network to handover to and therefore requires the right decision to achieve such task. This paper attempts to describe multi-level vertical handover decision algorithm that employs multi-attribute decision making in selecting the best network to optimize the VHO. The algorithm considers received signal sensitivity (power level or RSS), bandwidth and cost as the deciding factors in selecting the correct network based on the established memberships (function and degree) of the processed correlated weight vector. The results of the simulation show how the vertical handover optimization could be realized by selected the right target network.