Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Multi-link Mechanism for Heterogeneous Radio Networks

  • Published:
Wireless Personal Communications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nowadays, smart mobile devices drive the mobile traffic growth rapidly. Most smart mobile devices are equipped with multiple radio network interfaces, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Wi-Fi. Therefore, integration of multiple networks is a viable solution to fulfill traffic offloading and the Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement of data usage for mobile users. In this paper, we propose a multi-link mechanism to handle the radio network selection and switching between LTE and Wi-Fi networks. A Multi-Link Adaptor (MLA) and a Multi-Connection Manager (MCM) are proposed for the User Equipment (UE) and the core network, respectively, to handle the multi-link mechanism. The applications executed in the UEs do not need to be modified under the proposed approach. The MLA maintains a QoS class table and a routing table for the network selection procedure and uses the GPRS Tunneling Protocol-Control plane (GTP-C) control messages to execute network switching. In the future, we will measure the throughput of the multi-link network and the switch delay between the heterogeneous radio networks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cisco Corporation. (2012). Cisco visual networking index: Global mobile data traffic forecast update 2011–2016. Cisco white paper.

  2. Yu, C., Hwang, A. (2013). Taiwan market: Chunghwa telecom begins EAP-SIM off-loading of 3G traffic onto Wi-Fi. News. DIGITIMES. http://www.digitimes.com/pda/a20130115PD201.html. Accessed April 25, 2013

  3. 3GPP. (2013). Evolved general packet radio service (GPRS) tunnelling protocol for control plane (GTPv2-C), Stage 3. 3GPP TS 29.274 (Version 12.0.0).

  4. 3GPP. (2013). General packet radio system (GPRS) tunnelling protocol user plane (GTPv1-U). 3GPP TS 29.281 (Version 11.6.0).

  5. Gundavelli, S., Leung, K., Devarapalli, V., Chowdhury, K., Patil, B. (2008). Proxy mobile IPv6. IETF RFC 5213.

  6. Trung, T. M., Han, Y.-H., Choi, H.-Y., Geun, H. Y. (2011). A design of network-based flow mobility based on proxy mobile IPv6. In IEEE conference on, computer communications workshops (INFOCOM WKSHPS).

  7. Ramaboli, A. L., Falowo, O. E., & Chan, A. H. (2012). Bandwidth aggregation in heterogeneous wireless networks: A survey of current approaches and issues. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 35(6), 1674–1690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. 3GPP. (2013). Evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) and evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), Overall description, Stage 2. 3GPP TS 36.300 (Version 11.5.0).

  9. Firmin, F. (2012). The evolved packet core. 3GPP MCC. http://www.3g.pp.org/The-Evolved-Packet-Core. Accessed April 30, 2013

  10. 3GPP. (2013). Architecture enhancements for non-3GPP accesses. 3GPP TS 23.402 (Version 12.0.0).

  11. 3GPP. (2012). 3GPP system to wireless local area network (WLAN) interworking, WLAN user equipment (WLAN UE) to network protocols, Stage 3. 3GPP TS 24.234 (Version 11.3.0).

  12. Lin, Y.-B., & Pang, A.-C. (2005). Wireless and mobile All-IP networks. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  13. 3GPP. (2012). Quality of service (QoS) concept and architecture. 3GPP TS 23.107 (Version 11.0.0).

  14. 3GPP. (2013). Non-access-stratum (NAS) protocol for evolved packet system (EPS), Stage 3. 3GPP TS 24.301 (Version 12.0.0).

  15. 3GPP. (2012). Telecommunication management, performance management (PM), performance measurements evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). 3GPP TS 32.425 (Version 11.4.0).

  16. 3GPP. (2012). Telecommunication management, self-organizing networks (SON), concepts and requirements. 3GPP TS 32.500 (Version 11.1.0).

  17. Postel, J. (1981). Internet control message protocol. IETF RFC 792.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This paper was supported in part by NSC 101-2221-E-009-032, Academia Sinica AS-102-TP-A06, Chunghwa Telecom, Nokia Siemens Networks, ITRI/NCTU JRC Research Project, the ICL/ITRI Project, Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) Academic Technology Development Program 101-EC-17-A-03-S1-193, the MoE ATU plan, and the Technology Development Program of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA TDP), Taiwan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information and Communications Research Laboratories, ITRI, Rm.505, Bldg.51, No.195, Sec.4, Chung Hsing Rd., Chutung, Hsinchu , 31040, Taiwan, ROC

    Shun-Neng Yang, Yung-Chun Lin & Chai-Hien Gan

  2. Department of Computer Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu , 30010, Taiwan, ROC

    Shun-Neng Yang, Yi-Bing Lin & Chien-Ting Wu

Authors
  1. Shun-Neng Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yung-Chun Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chai-Hien Gan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yi-Bing Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chien-Ting Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shun-Neng Yang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yang, SN., Lin, YC., Gan, CH. et al. A Multi-link Mechanism for Heterogeneous Radio Networks. Wireless Pers Commun 76, 661–674 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-013-1357-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-013-1357-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation