4G networks provide bandwidth of up to 1Gbps for a Mobile Node (MN) that is moving at pedestrian speed. On the other hand, it also supports mobile nodes that can move at a speed of 250 km/hr with bandwidths value of 100 Mbps. This sets the premise of a network that supports diverse needs. This goal will be harder to achieve if Network Selection Problems (NSP) are not addressed comprehensively. NSP refers to the selection of target access network selection from a collection of Candidate Networks (CNs) when MNs are moving from one access network into another. The most logical way of achieving this is to select the “best” network. This translates to identifying performance values of the CNs. The analysis in this chapter shows clearly that access network selection done based on limited criteria is detrimental in achieving optimum communication. Instead, this chapter suggests a framework that would be complementary to a 4G network.
A local knowledge base for service oriented access network selection
