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IEEE 802.21 MEDIA INDEPENDENT HANDOVER

DCN: 21-08-0XXX-00-0000

Title: MRPM – an augmenting feature for MIH

Date Submitted: July 15, 2008

Presented at IEEE 802.21 session #27 in Denver, CO

Authors or Source(s): George Babut (Rogers Communications Inc)

Abstract: This presentation provides an operator’s perspective on MRPM as an augmenting feature and adoption enabler for MIH

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IEEE 802.21 presentation release statements

• This document has been prepared to assist the IEEE 802.21 Working Group. It is offered as a basis for discussion and is not binding on the contributing individual(s) or organization(s). The material in this document is subject to change in form and content after further study. The contributor(s) reserve(s) the right to add, amend or withdraw material contained herein.

• This is a contribution by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and is not subject to copyright in the US. The contributors do not have the authority to override the NIST policy in favor of the IEEE 802.21 policy.

• The contributor is familiar with IEEE patent policy, as stated in Section 6 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board bylaws <http://standards.ieee.org/guides/bylaws/sect6-7.html#6> and in Understanding Patent Issues During IEEE Standards Development http://standards.ieee.org/board/pat/faq.pdf> 

An operator’s perspective on seamless inter-access technologies (vertical) HOs

• Address customers demand for seamless access to services anywhere, over any available access network

• Best user experience, on their choice of handheld, via the best network available

• Fully standardized, interoperable and secure

• Leverage global footprint of public mobile networks and public hotspots

• Service continuity across heterogeneous access technologies

• Session continuity across heterogeneous access technologies

An operator’s perspective on MRPM

• The MN power consumption is a major enabler of the adoption of any access technology

• Optimizations of MN power consumption are part of all access technologies individually, allowing for viable MN implementations with acceptable life battery for normal usage per targeted services

• Fixed Mobile Convergence creates use cases that enable the implementation of multi-mode terminals

• Mechanisms to support generically, access independently, the optimization of power consumption in multi-mode terminals are essential in making their implementation viable

Adoption of MIH

• The adoption of MIH depends on the availability of less generic alternative solutions for early implementations of vertical HO by the interested multi-domain converged operators

• I-WLAN and UMA are examples of early non-MIH solutions

• When it comes to increasing the adoption rate of MIH we need to analyze the “bottlenecks” of viable implementations of vertical HOs

• One major bottleneck in the implementation of multi-mode terminals is the overall power management mechanism for different radios, each with its own mechanism

MRPM as an augmenting feature for MIH

• Power consumption is a major implementation factor in any handheld terminal

• Terminal power consumption, and corresponding battery life, are make-or-break adoption factors for any mobile access technology

• MRPM is, from that standpoint, a major enabler of implementability of multi-mode mobile handheld terminals

• Secondarily, MRPM as part of MIH, will augment the adoption rate of MIH, as it will increase the feasibility of power efficient multi-mode terminals

UMA case experience

• UMA is a very relevant example of how much impact the power consumption in a dual mode terminal can have upon the early adoption of dual access approaches

• UMA terminal is a GSM – WLAN dual terminal

• Early UMA terminals had unsatisfactory power consumption performance, that delayed the commercial UMA service launch

High level operator requirements for MRPM

• MRPM is complementary to other inter-access technology HO and network selection mechanisms

No impact or interference with the fast HO processes already optimized within each access technology RAN

• No interference with the intra-access technology HO and network selection mechanisms

• No network selection decision and subsequent HO decision outside the MN policy engine provisioned by the home operator

All network selection decisions and corresponding vertical HO decisions made by the Connection Manager based on output provided by MRPM are conditioned/validated by the policy engine in the MN

Conclusions

• A generic, access-independent, mechanism to support the optimization of power management in multi-mode terminals is a major enabler for the early implementations of multi-mode terminals and deployment of services across multiple access networks

• MRPM should be such an access-independent mechanism, complementary to existing intra-access technology mechanisms

• MRPM shall not impact the existing specifications of individual access technologies

• MRPM shall not interfere with the fast intra-access HO functions