Quality-aware Wi-Fi offload: analysis, design and integration perspectives

Abstract

The rapid spread of smart wireless devices and expansion of mobile data traffic have increased the interest for efficient traffic offloading techniques in next-generation communication technologies. Wi-Fi offloading uses ubiquitous Wi-Fi technology in order to satisfy the ever increasing demand for mobile bandwidth and therefore is an appropriate methodology for mobile operators. As a matter of fact, design and integration of an offloading technology inside mobile network operators' infrastructures is a challenging task due to convergence issues between the The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and non-3GPP networks. Therefore, a connectivity management platform is a key element for integrated heterogeneous mobile network operators in order to enable smart and effective offloading. In this paper, analysis, design and integration of a connectivity management platform that uses a Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) algorithm for efficient Wi-Fi Offloading in heterogeneous wireless networks is presented. In order to enhance the end-user's quality-of-experience (QoE), we have especially concentrated on the benefits that can be achieved by exploiting the presence of integrated service provider platform. Hence, the proposed platform can collect several User Equipment (UE) and network-based attributes via infrastructure and client Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and decides on the best network access technology (i.e. 3GPP and non-3GPP) to connect to for requested users. We have also proposed multi-user extensions of the MADM algorithms for offloading. Through simulations and experiments, we provide details of the comparisons of the proposed algorithms as well as the sensitivity analysis of the MADM algorithm through an experimental set-up.