Context-Aware Multi-Criteria Handover with Fuzzy Inference in Software Defined 5G HetNets

With the explosive growth of mobile devices and subsequent traffic volume, densified deployment of Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) coexisting with a variety of cells with overlay coverage has emerged as a viable solution for future 5G networks. Despite many advantages, this new architecture also introduces numerous new network management issues, such as frequent handovers. Although a number of handover mechanisms have been proposed, these methods generally depend on one or more objective attributes from the perspective of the users and network, and do not consider the subjective demands of personalized users and specific applications that demand differentiated network services. In this paper, we first develop an software defined networking (SDN)-driven handover architecture that is capable of perceiving global network statements and requirements from all perspectives, including the physical layer, users, and applications. Then, a context-aware multi-criteria handover mechanism is developed in the SDN controller to provide differentiated services. Considering the many complicated factors, the handover decision is made based on a hierarchical fuzzy inference system to process diverse attributes and fuzzy information described in natural language. The evaluation results demonstrate that our scheme outperforms the baseline Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)-based handover scheme, more efficiently providing differentiated services with respect to throughput, bandwidth cost, and application satisfaction.