Analysis of distributed mobility anchoring for 4G systems

As 3G wireless systems evolve towards 4G, various wireless network technology organizations looking at network architectures for 4G are considering a redesign of the network away from the traditional centralized, hierarchical design to wards a more distributed operation of network functions. In this article, we present some mechanisms for distributed operation of the mobility anchoring function for 4G systems, with a view to highlighting the tradeoffs that drive the design choice of whether to centralize or distribute the mobility anchoring function. We analyze various aspects of distributed mobility anchoring, such as processing requirements at base stations and management of IP address pools. Our analysis shows that if certain trends in the deployment of wireless networks continue to materialize, then distributed mobility anchoring can be a feasible solution for 4G networks.