Vertical handover optimization in next-generation hetnet: a hybrid FAICT network selection scheme

Multiservice multimode mobile devices frequently switching between different networks due to dense deployment of small base stations, heterogeneity, and mobility in heterogeneous networks, known as vertical handover, to get a higher data rate and increased capacity to ensure the required quality of service and experience. Selecting the most suitable network is a major challenge in enabling vertical handovers for mobile devices that operate across multiple services and modes within heterogeneous network environments. This article proposes a hybrid network selection model using context-aware information about user preference and the dynamics of networks by incorporating fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), Improved CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (I-CRITIC), and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) techniques. The model utilizes I-CRITIC and TOPSIS techniques to evaluate the objective weight and utility of decision criteria and network conditions while considering the requirements of different service traffic classes. Whereas FAHP has been utilized to estimate subjective weight and utility. Finally, the optimal network for handover has been selected by evaluating the threshold values and overall utility of all available networks. The incorporation of a dynamic adjustment coefficient, which includes preferences and network conditions, plays a pivotal role in the proposed model’s ability to address the challenges posed by excessively subjective or objective user experiences, expert opinions, and service requirements. The proposed approach effectively minimizes unnecessary handovers by approximately 4.35% for conversational traffic, 6.11% for interactive traffic, and 1.2% for background traffic as compared to the entropy-TOPSIS.