Vertical handover among broadcast networks

In this article we propose strategies for optimization of vertical handover among broadcast networks. The specific technologies of DVB-H and UMTS/MBMS are taken into account for the modelling of technological parameters including energy consumption and frame loss. Energy consumption is important in a mobile context in order to maximize the possible service duration while frame loss must be considered in order to provide services with an acceptable quality of experience. The proposed strategies are based on two different functions: a ratio between the energy consumption and the frame loss along and a linear objective function. The two function are compared with functions based on only one parameter and against the theoretic frame loss and energy consumption. The paper gives numerical results obtained through simulations in different mobility conditions in order to assess the performance of the proposed functions in terms of frame loss and energy consumption as well as in frequency of vertical handovers.