SINR based network selection strategy in integrated heterogeneous networks

Future integrated wireless and mobile network are emerging to offer a wide range of services anywhere at any time. In these networks, each mobile terminal equipped with heterogeneous interfaces will be able to perform the corresponding user services using any available network. To select a network, users can choose the most suitable one according to the predetermined preferences. Several factors may be considered to select a network such as bandwidth availability, power consumption, received signal strength and cost. The interference represents also an important factor in this environment. In this paper, we consider a new network selection strategy based on the estimated Signal to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) value in an integrated heterogeneous wireless network. This strategy always allows users to select the network that has a higher SINR value from all the available networks during its communication. We analyze the system performance in terms of the blocking probabilities of calls on the whole service area. Our results are compared with other strategies found in the literature.