Handover decision using fuzzy MADM in heterogeneous networks

In the next generation heterogeneous wireless networks, a user with a multi-interface terminal may have a network access from different service providers using various technologies. It is believed that handover decision is based on multiple criteria as well as user preference. Various approaches have been proposed to solve the handover decision problem, but the choice of decision method appears to be arbitrary and some of the methods even give disputable results. In this paper, a new handover criteria is introduced along with a new handover decision strategy. In addition, handover decision is identified us a fuzzy multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problem, and fuzzy logic is applied to deal with the imprecise information of some criteria and user preference. After a systematic analysis of various fuzzy MADM methods, a feasible approach is presented. In the end, examples are provided illustrating the proposed methods and the sensitivity of the methods is also analysed.