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An efficient handover decision in heterogeneous LTE-A networks under the assistance of users’ profile

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Abstract

The increasing demand for wireless networks calls for the use of heterogeneous networks in order to fulfil user requirements. Mobility management is considered one of the important entities for such networks. The handover is one of the main features of mobility management in regard to the long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) system, which depends purely on the hard handover. The vertical handover decision is a significant component of heterogeneous networks; it authorizes the user equipment (UE) to migrate between the two-tier LTE-A wireless networks. Femtocell, or also known as the home-evolved nodeB (HeNB), has turned out to be a promising arrangement, as it enhances the coverage and the quality of service for users on one hand, and offloads the eNB on the other hand. In this paper, an advanced handover technique is presented, in terms of adding new and critical parameters, as well as combining between the present UE trajectory and the HeNB cell location. A polynomial function is used to predict the future UE position while the cosine function along with distance are used for the selection of an appropriate target cell. The proposed algorithm is evaluated and then compared to the present work based on the handover number, number of signaling measurements, packet delay ratio, packet loss ratio, and system throughput. Simulation of the LTE-Sim demonstrates that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the number of handovers, the transmission measurement number, the packet delay ratio, and the packet loss ratio and increases system throughput.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the High Impact Fund of National University of Malaysia (Malaysia; Grant code: DIP-2014-037).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Software Technology and Management, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Rami Ahmad, Elankovan A. Sundararajan & Nor E. Othman

  2. Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mahamod Ismail

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  1. Rami Ahmad
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  2. Elankovan A. Sundararajan
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  3. Nor E. Othman
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  4. Mahamod Ismail
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Correspondence to Rami Ahmad.

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Ahmad, R., Sundararajan, E.A., Othman, N.E. et al. An efficient handover decision in heterogeneous LTE-A networks under the assistance of users’ profile. Telecommun Syst 68, 27–45 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11235-017-0374-4

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