User-based integrated offloading approach for 3GPP LTE-WLAN network

The increasing use of smartphones and content-rich and data-hungry applications has resulted in significant growth in demand for mobile data services in recent years. To meet this requirement, one of the widely-used approaches is to offload cellular data traffic to Wireless LAN as it operates in unlicensed bands. Offloading decisions are typically based on signal quality. In this paper, we propose an integrated offloading approach which takes both signal quality and network load into consideration. We focus on solutions that do not require significant changes to current network implementations and standards. We investigate the performance of this approach for different scenarios via extensive simulations and observe improved system and user performance in terms of throughput. The evaluation adheres to the methodology laid down by the global standards body 3GPP for such comparisons.