Novel network architectures for lossless network handover

Wireless multiuser networks are often required to provide continuous or near-continuous connectivity between mobile users and an installed network infrastructure. This implies a need for handover functionality. Handover provided by the OSI network layer permits users employing either circuits or packets to retain service quality while moving. We have developed algorithms for lossless handover in a mobile communication environment at arbitrary data rates at the network layer. In this paper, we give an overview of current methods and discuss how they are inadequate for future advanced services. We then propose and analyze new algorithms for lossless handover. Finally, we present a simulation-based investigation, whose results show that less than one second is needed for handover in a wide area network (WAN) situation, and demonstrate flexibility in bandwidth requirements for high-performance handover.