Performance of data querying operations in Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS)

The anticipated emergence of third-generation mobile systems, referred to as Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS), raises the problem of reconsidering the design of the databases destined to contain the user information. In particular, it is expected that the key concepts of the new database architectures will be high distribution and fast updating of information. This paper presents a methodology which allows for structural alternatives of DDB architectures differing in the number of levels and branches in the hierarchy, to be evaluated in terms of query loads and mean response times, according to a given user mobility characterization. The paper also discusses a case study concerning a query operation arising from a location updating procedure.