A consolidated architecture for 4G/B3G networks

The operation of a 4/sup th/ generation or beyond 3/sup rd/ generation (4G/B3G) network will depend largely on the close coordination between mobility, resource and quality of service (QoS) management schemes. The 4G/B3G network is expected to serve stationary as well as mobile subscribers under dynamic network conditions and offer anytype service - anytime, anywhere and anyhow. In this paper, we present and discuss a hierarchical, layered and modular 4G/B3G network architecture with cross-layer coordination and distributed network functionalities. A common mechanism for control/signaling is adopted to facilitate wireless system discovery and paging. Novel augmentations in mobility, resource and QoS management schemes with well-defined message interfaces are proposed to enhance cross-layer coordination. These augmentations will consolidate the salient areas of the 4G/B3G architectures that have been discussed in the literature. We have also proposed a reconfigurable multi-antenna, multi-service and QoS supported mobile terminal architecture to enable seamless mobility across different access technologies.