A Context Aware Vertical Handover Algorithm for Vehicular Communication

“Always best connected” communication is the principal requirement for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which is a subset of 4G, to ensure vehicular safety. The next generation communication is characterized by heterogeneous radio access networks. The heterogeneous co-existence of access technologies with largely different characteristics creates a decision problem for determining best available network at a particular instant of time. A context aware vertical handover algorithm for vehicular communication is presented here. Integrated AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process)-TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method is used for the development of algorithm and MATLAB/SIMULINK is used as simulation platform. Dynamic factors like received signal strength, and speed of the vehicle, static factors like initial delay for connection establishment, cost of service and user preference of application are considered. Sensitivity analysis is done to justify the design of the algorithm. This algorithm is specific to vehicular communication system and hence variation in network selection at different vehicle speed is shown.