Performance Evaluation of Quality of Experience Aware Mobility Management in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

Modern wireless communication technologies are rapidly advancing to meet the evolving needs of the upcoming generation requirements, facilitating applications and services with enhanced Quality-of-Service (QoS) levels, characterized by high-speed broadband connectivity, enhanced reliability, and ultra-low latency. Recent reports anticipate that Fifth-Generation (5G) technology subscriptions are expected to surpass 5.3 billion by 2029. Notably, the majority of cellular network traffic originates from densely populated urban areas, where the urban environment poses numerous challenges for wireless signal quality, stemming from its densely packed infrastructures, such as high-rise buildings, narrow-congested roads/streets, metallic structures, vehicular traffic, and more. As a result, cellular operators face challenges in ensuring improved QoS for end users, along with a defined level of Quality-of-Experience (QoE). With this objective in mind, this research conducts a comparative evaluation of the User Equipment-Base Station (UE-BS) association, aiming to comprehend the throughput experiences of UEs during mobility and to evaluate the wireless services delivered with promised QoE levels. The findings of this research highlight a significant improvement in the throughput performance of priority UEs when served by BSs, with the highest Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) levels and lower UE loads. Additionally, it is demonstrated that a network characterized by low UE load at the BSs contributes to enhanced throughput performances of priority UEs, attributed to surplus bandwidth resources, thereby resulting in improved UE QoE.