A Survey of Context Aware Vertical Handover Management Schemes in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Modern smartphones and wireless-enabled devices are equipped with a number of interfaces to access multiple networks in heterogeneous wireless networks. Seamless mobility between these networks can be achieved by optimizing parameters related with vertical handover management . This paper presents a detailed review of the recent schemes used for context-aware vertical handover management in heterogeneous wireless networks. In particular, we reviewed user-centric, network centric, and hybrid schemes, and compare them in context of throughput, packet loss ratio, and other advantages such as handover delay, cost, energy, and bandwidth optimization.