Session state aware handover procedure for VoIP sessions in heterogeneous wireless networks

This paper proposes a session state aware (SSA) handover procedure to solve the problem of seamless mobility in heterogeneous wireless networks. The novelty of the proposed SSA procedure is the alignment of the network layer handover execution instant with the callee's voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) session silence period. The effectiveness of the proposed SSA is assessed mathematically using Markov chain theory whose results are validated by simulation results. Numerical results show that the proposed SSA handover procedure reduces the handover packet loss by 46% and delivers mean opinion score rating of at least 3.6 where most of the VoIP users are satisfied.