A Cross-Layer Mobility Management Framework based on IEEE802.21

Next-generation user service requirements call for seamless handover across heterogeneous networks, this presents several challenges. To meet some of these challenges the IEEE802.21 working group proposed a draft standard for Media Independent Handovers. This standard introduces a set of services that allow mobility protocols to handoff uniformly in the context of different link-layer interfaces. However, even with the IEEE802.21 functions, current mobility protocols lack the capabilities needed to tackle advanced mobility scenarios. Current mobility decision engines do not take user, application and context information into account. This paper presents an IEEE802.21-based cross layer framework that captures context and content information to target an optimal network within a 4G environment. The framework coordinates SIP and MIP for target network registration to reduce handover latency. The results show that the Cross Layer Framework is more responsive to network changes than standalone SIP and MIP. This makes the Cross Layer Framework ideal for handling mobility management in Next-Generation Systems.