A theoretical scheme for applying game theory and network selection mechanisms in access admission control

One of the main features of future networks will be heterogeneity in the wireless access environment in which a mobile terminal will be able to connect to multiple radio networks simultaneously. Network selection and efficient load balancing among different types of networks will be required to achieve high-speed connectivity with seamless mobility. Game theory is a mathematical tool developed to understand competitive situations in which rational decision makers interact to achieve their objectives. Game theory techniques can be easily adapted for use in radio resource management mechanisms in a heterogeneous environment. To this end, we propose here a theoretical scheme for fusing network selection mechanisms and game theory, so that access admission control can be modeled efficiently as a non-cooperative game. In this sense, networks play against each other so as to maximize their payoff and admission control policy ensures maximum QoS for all service requests.