Mobility management over heterogeneous wireless networks is becoming a major interest area as new technologies and services continue to proliferate within the wireless networking market. In this context, seamless mobility is considered to be crucial for ubiquitous computing. Service providers aim to increase the revenue and to improve users' satisfaction. However there are still many technical and architectural challenges to overcome before achieving the required interoperability and coexistence of heterogeneous wireless access networks. Indeed, the context of wireless networks is offering multiple and heterogeneous technologies (e.g. 2G to 4G, WiFi, Wimax, TETRA,...). On the one hand, this rich environment allows users to take profit from different capacities and coverage characteristics. Indeed, this diversity can provide users with high flexibility and allow them to seamlessly connect at any time and any where to the access technology that best fits their requirements. Additionally, cooperation between these different technologies can provide higher efficiency in the usage of the scarce wireless resources offering more economic systems for network providers. On the other hand, the heterogeneity of technologies and architectures and the multiplication of networks and service providers creates a complex environment where cooperation becomes challenging at different levels including and not limited to mobility management, radio resource provisioning, Quality of Service and security guarantees. This thesis is focusing on mobility management and mainly on decision making for Vertical handover within heterogeneous wireless network environments. After the analysis of the related state of the art, we first propose a reputation based approach that allows fast vertical handover decision making. A decision making scheme is then built on that approach. Network's reputation, is a new metric that can be gathered from previous users' experiences in the networks. We show that it is an efficient construct to speed up the vertical handover decision making thanks to anticipation functionalities. While the main objective remains guaranteeing the best Quality of Service and optimal radio resource utilization, economical aspects have also to be considered including cost minimization for users and revenue maximization for network providers. For this aim, we propose, in the second part of the thesis, a game theoretic based scheme that allows maximizing benefits for both networks and users. In this solution, each available network plays a Stackelberg game with a finite set of users, while users are playing a Nash game among themselves to share the limited radio resources. A Nash equilibrium point, that maximizes the user's utility and the service provider revenue, is found and used for admission control and vertical handover decision making. The analyses of the optimal bandwidth/prices and the revenue at the equilibrium point show that there are some possible policies to use according to user's requirements in terms of QoS and to network capacities. For instance, we pointed out that networks having same capacities and different reputation values should charge users with different prices which makes reputation management very important to attract users and maximize networks' revenue. In the third part of this thesis, we provide and discuss two different architectural and implementation solutions on which our proposed vertical handover decision mechanisms can be integrated. The first proposed architecture is a centralized one. It is based on the IEEE 802.21 standard to which some extensions are proposed. The second proposed architecture is distributed. It is based on an overlay control level composed of two virtualization layers able to make reasoning on behalf of physical entities within the system. This architecture allows higher flexibility especially for loosely coupled interconnected networks

Abstract The contemporary information age is equipped with rich and affordable telecommunication services. In the future, people have even more flexibility when true wireless Internet and real-time multimedia are provided seamlessly over heterogeneous wireless networks. Optimally combining the capacity and services of the current and emerging networks requires a holistic view of mobility, resource and service management. This thesis contributes to the research and development of these hybrid systems with three main contributions. Firstly, a system architecture for vertical handoff in location-aware heterogeneous wireless networks is proposed. The proposed architecture enables the mobile node to prepare for approaching vertical handoffs and wake-up a hotspot interface. The needed communication procedures are discussed, and inter-related issues of mobility and geolocation information are considered in proportion to usability, advantages and limitations. Secondly, a framework for the analysis of vertical handoff algorithm sensitivity to various mobility parameters including velocity, handoff delay and dwell time is introduced. Handoff smoothing with a dwell-timer is analyzed as one potential scheme for optimizing vertical handoff locally. It is compared to a power based algorithm to find out its sensitivity to the changes in effective data rates, velocity of the terminal and the amount of handoff delay. The analysis focuses on the transition region, having case studies on both moving-in and moving-out scenarios. An optimal value for dwell-timer is found through simulations, showing a performance gain over power based algorithm as a function of mean throughput. The analysis is extended also to a multiple network scenario. Thirdly, experimental results on the behaviour of protocols used in wireless IP networks are presented. Prototype systems demonstrate results of using Mobile IP with a fuzzy logic algorithm for vertical handoff in a heterogeneous network environment and the role of IPv6 when using a voice application in a wireless LAN environment. Latest contributions include developing plug-and-play middleware functionalities for Symbian mobile devices, extending the use of the earlier results to state-of-the-art mobile devices.

No / In the telecommunication networks the introduction of Next Generation Wireless Networks (NGWN) has been described as the most significant change in wireless communication. The convergence of different access networks in NGWN allows generalized mobility, consistency and ubiquitous provision of services to mobile users. The general target of NGWN is to transport different types of information like voice, data, and other media like video in packets form like IP. The NGWNs offer significant savings in costs to the operators along with new and interesting services to the consumers. Major challenges in NGWN are efficient resource utilization, maintaining service quality, reliability and the security. This paper proposes a solution for seamless load aware Radio Access Technology (RAT) selection based on interworking of different RATs in NGWN. In this paper novel load balancing algorithms have been proposed which have been simulated on the target network architecture for TCP data services. The IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH) is utilized in load balancing specifically for mobility management, which enable low handover latency by reducing the target network detection time. The proposed method considers the network type, signal strength, data rate and network load as primary decision parameters for RAT selection process and consists of two different algorithms, one located in the mobile terminal and the other at the network side. The network architecture, the proposed load balancing framework and RAT selection algorithms were simulated using NS2. Different attributes like load distribution in the wireless networks and average throughput to evaluate the effects of load balancing in considered scenarios.

No / The ever increasing user QoS demands and emergence of new user applications make job of network operators and manufacturers more challenging for efficiently optimisation and managing radio resources in radio the radio resources pools of different wireless networks. A group of strategies or mechanisms which are collectively responsible for efficient utilisation of radio resources available within the Radio Access Technologies (RAT) are termed as Radio Resource Management (RRM). The traditional RRM strategies are implemented independently in each RAT, as each RRM strategy considers attributes of a particular access technology. Therefore traditional RRM strategies are not suitable for heterogeneous wireless networks. Common Radio Resource Management (CRRM) or joint radio resource management (JRRM) strategies are proposed for coordinating radio resource management between multiple RATs in an improved manner. In this paper a fuzzy algorithm based CRRM strategy is presented to efficiently utilise the available radio resources in heterogeneous wireless networks. The proposed CRRM strategy balances the load in heterogeneous wireless networks and avoids the unwanted congestion situation. The results such as load distribution, packet drop rate and average throughput at mobile nodes are used to demonstrate the benefits of load balancing in heterogeneous wireless networks using proposed strategy.

Heterogeneous wireless networking technologies such as satellite, UMTS, WiMax and WLAN are being used to provide network access for both voice and data services. In big cities, the densely populated areas like town centres, shopping centres and train stations may have coverage of multiple wireless networks. Traditional Radio Access Technology (RAT) selection algorithms are mainly based on the 'Always Best Connected' paradigm whereby the mobile nodes are always directed towards the available network which has the strongest and fastest link. Hence a large number of mobile users may be connected to the more common UMTS while the other networks like WiMax and WLAN would be underutilised, thereby creating an unbalanced load across these different wireless networks. This high variation among the load across different co-located networks may cause congestion on overloaded network leading to high call blocking and call dropping probabilities. This can be alleviated by moving mobile users from heavily loaded networks to least loaded networks. This thesis presents a novel framework for load balancing in heterogeneous wireless networks incorporating the IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH). The framework comprises of novel load-aware RAT selection techniques and novel network load balancing mechanism. Three new different load balancing algorithms i.e. baseline, fuzzy and neural-fuzzy algorithms have also been presented in this thesis that are used by the framework for efficient load balancing across the different co-located wireless networks. A simulation model developed in NS2 validates the performance of the proposed load balancing framework. Different attributes like load distribution in all wireless networks, handover latencies, packet drops, throughput at mobile nodes and network utilization have been observed to evaluate the effects of load balancing using different scenarios. The simulation results indicate that with load balancing the performance efficiency improves as the overloaded situation is avoided by load balancing.

Les travaux développés dans cette thèse ont pour cadre général la mise en œuvre d’approches adaptatives permettant de faire évoluer la gestion du réseau en migrant d’une vue "centrée réseau" où l’on se contentait uniquement des paramètres issus du réseau lui-même, vers une vue "centrée utilisateur". Plus particulièrement, ces travaux se sont focalisés sur un des composants principaux de l’ensemble de la chaîne de traitement et de transport, celui de la sélection de la meilleure interface réseau embarquée dans le terminal mobile, l’objectif étant de répondre au mieux aux contraintes imposées par l’environnement. Ces travaux reposent sur une approche décisionnelle dynamique tenant compte de changements dans les paramètres réseaux et des besoins et préférences des utilisateurs au regard des services qui leur sont proposés. En effet, dans l’environnement actuel, se caractérisant par une multiplicité de technologies, d’applications et d’utilisateurs, les terminaux mobiles sont équipés de plusieurs interfaces réseaux. Ces derniers donnent ainsi la possibilité aux utilisateurs de pouvoir basculer dynamiquement d’une interface à une autre dans l’objectif d’assurer une connexion satisfaisant le mieux possible leurs besoins en termes de services en tout lieu, à tout moment et de la meilleure manière possible (ABC, Always Best Connected). Les approches mises en œuvre dans le cadre de la thèse ont permis d’associer simultanément chaque flux d’application à l’interface la plus appropriée de manière à optimiser les performances globales du système. Ainsi, ces travaux ont mené à la proposition d’approches hybrides ayant pour cadre de départ la technique TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) et en y intégrant des modèles issus de la théorie des fonctions de croyance. Pour l’association flux/interface, une proposition basée sur des algorithmes bio-inspirés a été faite dans le cadre de ces travaux. Les résultats obtenus, à la fois par simulation et sur un cas d’usage réel en lien avec le domaine de la santé connectée, ont montré l’efficacité des approches proposées / The work developed in this dissertation has as a general framework the implementation of adaptive user-centric approaches for network interface selection (NIS) and flow/interface association (FIA) in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks (HWNs). The NIS mechanism relies on a dynamic decision approach that considers the change in networks’ parameters and users’ needs and preferences for their current applications. In a heterogeneous environment, the mobile terminals that are equipped with multiple network interfaces provide the possibility for mobile end-users to switch among available network interfaces and select the one that best fulfills their needs anywhere at any time which is known as Always Best Connected (ABC). The approaches proposed in this thesis allowed to associate simultaneously each application flow to its suitable interface in a way that best maximizes the global system performance. This work has led to the proposal of hybrid approaches originating from TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) and integrating models from the belief functions theory for the NIS. Concerning the FIA, a proposal based on bio-inspired algorithms was made as part of this work. Experimental results based on synthetic datasets and an experimental test bed for health monitoring showed the effectiveness of the proposed approaches

La presencia de topologías multi-salto en comunicaciones inalámbricas de todo tipo es cada vez más apreciable, esperándose además que esta tendencia se mantenga en un futuro cercano. A pesar de que inicialmente fueran concebidos para solventar la falta de infraestructura subyacente en ciertos escenarios concretos, estos despliegues han acaparado el interés de diferentes actores del ámbito de las comunicaciones (incluyendo los operadores), con lo que es razonable pensar que su relevancia irá creciendo paulatinamente. De hecho, existen diversas iniciativas en algunos foros de estandarización que de alguna manera corroboran este hecho. Hay que tener en cuenta, por otro lado, otros factores adicionales (como la eclosión que se ha producido en el campo de las redes de sensores inalámbricos) que seguramente fomentarán el uso de estas topologías.A pesar de la creciente actividad en el ámbito de los despliegues multi-salto, sigue siendo necesario establecer, de manera cuantitativa, cuáles son sus posibles beneficios, tanto para los usuarios finales de los sistemas de comunicación, como para los operadores, especialmente teniendo en cuenta el elevado grado de heterogeneidad que también caracterizará las redes inalámbricas.Por otro lado, en lo que se refiere a los algoritmos y protocolos a ser empleados sobre este tipo de topologías, y a pesar de la intensa labor de investigación que sobre ellos se ha realizado recientemente, queda aún un número relevante de aspectos a analizar. En primer lugar, el mero hecho de que sus requerimientos y retos iniciales hayan variado de manera sustancial puede, y debe, influenciar sus principios básicos. Además, es necesario acometer verificaciones de los mismos sobre plataformas reales y, así mismo, asegurar que las evaluaciones que se realicen con técnicas de simulación utilicen modelos reales que permitan reflejar de manera fidedigna las condiciones que se dan en la realidad.Esta Tesis afronta, en primer lugar, la evaluación cuantitativa de la mejora que es posible alcanzar al utilizar topologías inalámbricas multi-salto para extender despliegues de red más tradicionales. Un primer aspecto que es razonable considerar es la ampliación de la cobertura que se consigue; en este caso se ha realizado un análisis que sigue un doble enfoque, analítico y mediante técnicas de simulación, para determinar es la ganancia que se logra. Se ha partido de dos modelos de red complementarios entre sí, asumiendo en el primero de ellos una falta total de planificación previa, mientras que en el segundo se utiliza un emplazamiento óptimo de los elementos de conexión a la red. Se ha comprobado que, a pesar de sus características claramente antagónicas, los resultados obtenidos con ambos escenarios son similares entre sí. Además, se concluye que, a pesar de que la ampliación de la cobertura que se alcanza es muy relevante, es posible establecer un límite razonable para el número máximo de saltos a emplear, ya que la mejoría adicional al incrementar la longitud de la ruta deja de ser apreciable a partir del mismo. Este aspecto se podría aprovechar para influir en el diseño de las técnicas de encaminamiento a emplear sobre este tipo de topologías.Se analizan también otras mejoras adicionales, utilizando un escenario en el que predomina sobremanera la heterogeneidad de los elementos de conexión a la red, e integrando las extensiones multi-salto con un algoritmo de selección de acceso genérico, que permite modular el peso que tienen las diferentes entidades (tanto el terminal de usuario como la propia red), así como diversos parámetros y restricciones a considerar, a la hora de determinar la alternativa de conexión óptima. Se comprueba que, tanto para los usuarios, gracias a la mejora de la calidad del servicio que perciben, como para la red, que incrementa el tráfico que es capaz de cursar, el uso de comunicaciones multi-salto puede resultar altamente atractivo.En segundo lugar, también se afronta la mejora de las técnicas de encaminamiento que tradicionalmente se emplean sobre las redes multi-salto, basadas en minimizar el número de saltos entre los dos extremos de la comunicación. Para ello, y utilizando el paradigma de Cross-Layer Optimisation, se propone una versión mejorada del protocolo DSR, denominada SADSR, que emplea la información relativa a la calidad de los enlaces subyacentes para modular el algoritmo de selección de ruta. Destacar que se acomete una verificación experimental de dicha propuesta, contestando, de este modo, a una de las reivindicaciones más importantes en este campo. Los resultados obtenidos permiten inferir que las prestaciones de la propuesta realizada en el marco de esta Tesis son superiores a los de la versión original del DSR.A pesar del evidente valor que las validaciones empíricas aportan, tienen la limitación de que es complicado establecer topologías con un número elevado de nodos, o acometer experimentos con una pauta repetitiva para determinar un comportamiento promedio. Es por ello que también se acomete un análisis mediante técnicas de simulación, en el que se compara SADSR con la versión original del DSR, así como con otras propuestas que han acaparado el interés por parte de la comunidad científica. Los resultados que se derivan a raíz de la evaluación llevada a cabo no hacen sino corroborar lo que ya adelanta la verificación experimental, ya que las prestaciones del SADSR son muy superiores a las del resto de alternativas analizadas.Para llevar a cabo el análisis anterior es fundamental el uso de un modelo de canal que refleje, con el mayor grado de exactitud posible, un comportamiento realista. Para ello, en la Tesis se afronta el diseño, implementación y posterior integración en la plataforma Network Simulator de BEAR, un modelo de canal basado en filtrado auto-regresivo, que se caracteriza principalmente por emular la aparición de errores a ráfagas que se observa en entornos reales. En ese sentido, se parte de un extenso conjunto de medidas que permite corroborar el correcto funcionamiento de la propuesta. / The presence of multi-hop topologies within all types of wireless communications is becoming more and more common, and this tendency is expected to be maintained in the near future. Although they were originally conceived to compensate the lack of subjacent infrastructure in certain scenarios, these deployments have attracted the interest of different actors in the wireless communications value chain (including network operators) and thus it is logical to think that their relevance will gradually increase. In fact, there already exist some standardization initiatives which corroborate this point to some extent. Furthermore, other additional factors, such as the rapid growth which has been seen in wireless sensor technologies, also strengthen the use of these topologies..In spite of the growing activity in the multi-hop deployment field, it is still necessary to establish, in a quantitative way, their potential benefits, both for the end-users of the communication systems, as well as for the operators, considering, in addition, the high degree of heterogeneity which will characterize wireless networks in the future.On the other hand, as far as algorithms and protocols to be used over this type of topology are concerned, and despite the intense research which has been conducted into them, there is still a large number of issues to be tackled. First, the simple fact that their initial requirements and challenges have been modified can, and must, influence their basic principles. In addition, it becomes necessary to address their validation on real platforms and, on the other hand, to ensure that simulation-based evaluations of their performance make use of realistic models which accurately reflect the conditions which are observed in real scenarios.This dissertation tackles, on the one hand, the quantitative evaluation of the improvements which are achievable when using multi-hop topologies to extend legacy network deployments. One first aspect which is logical to consider is the increase in the coverage which is brought about. In this sense, a two-fold approach has been followed, employing both an analytical as well as a simulation-based analysis, to establish what the gain is. Two network models have been used, being complementary to each other; the first one assumes a complete lack of network planning for the deployment of the access elements, while the second one assumes an optimum distribution of them. Although their characteristics are completely different, the results are somehow similar for both cases. Furthermore, it can be concluded that, despite the coverage extension which can be obtained, it is indeed possible to establish a reasonable limit on the maximum number of hops to be used, since the improvement becomes less relevant for higher values. This aspect could influence the design of routing techniques to be used over this type of topology.Furthermore, other additional benefits have been also analyzed, using a network deployment in which the presence of heterogeneity (multi-access) is evident. The multi-hop extensions have been integrated within a generic access selection algorithm which enables the modification of the weights which are assigned to the different entities (both the end-user terminals and the network) as well as to the set of parameters and constraints to be considered when selecting the most appropriate access alternative. It is concluded that for both the end-users, who improve their perception of the quality of service, and the network, which is able to increase the overall amount of traffic possible to be handled, multi-hop extensions are certainly beneficial.In addition, the dissertation also tackles the improvement of the routing techniques which are traditionally employed over multi-hop networks, which are based on minimizing the number of hops between the two sides of the communication. To accomplish this, and using the Cross-Layer Optimisation paradigm, an improved version of the DSR protocol is proposed, namely SADSR. It uses information about the subjacent link qualities to modulate the route selection algorithm. It is worth highlighting that a fully empirical (on a real platform) validation has been conducted, addressing one of the most pressing demands within this field. The results obtained allow us to infer that the proposal made in the framework of this dissertation is clearly outperforming the original DSR version.Although the added value provided by empirical validations is unquestionable, they also have some limitations. First, they normally do not favour the establishment of large topologies, or to undertake repetitive experiments aimed at finding an average behaviour. In this sense, a simulation-based analysis is also used so as to compare the SADSR with the original DSR version as well as with other proposals which have recently attracted interest from the scientific community. The results obtained by the validation carried out on a real platform are confirmed, since the performance brought about by the SADSR is somewhat higher than that of the other strategies.In order to perform the previous analysis the use of a realistic channel model, able to capture with a high degree of accuracy the behaviour exhibited on real platforms, is mandatory. To fulfil this requirement, the dissertation also tackles the design, implementation, and integration within the Network Simulator platform of BEAR, a channel model based on auto-regressive filtering. It is mainly characterized by being able to emulate the bursty presence of errors which is observed over real channels. The design is based on an extensive set of measurements which is used to assess the validity of the proposal.

Les avancements récents dans les technologies sans fil ont vu l'émergence de techniques de localisation qui constitue une base utile et rentable pour offrir des nouveaux services. Ces services topo-dépendants ont été de plus en plus bénéfiques pour les opérateurs et les entreprises de télécommunications. Divers services topo-dépendants peuvent être offerts 'a l'utilisateur tels que le suivi, la publicité, la sécurité, et la gestion. Les réseaux sans fil eux-mêmes peuvent bénéficier de l'information de localisation pour améliorer les performances de leurs différentes couches. Le routage, la synchronisation et l'annulation d'interférences sont quelques exemples o'u l'information de localisation peut être fructueuse. Un système de localisation doit être capable d'exécuter deux tâches principales : la mesure des paramètres topo-dépendants (RSSI, TOA, et TDOA) et l'estimation de la position en utilisant des estimateurs appropriés. L'objectif principal de cette thèse est l'étude de différentes techniques d'estimation de la position: algébriques et géométriques. Les techniques algébriques étudiées sont les moindres carrés, le maximum de vraisemblance, et la programmation semi-définie. La technique géométrique RGPA proposée est basée sur l'analyse par intervalles et la représentation géométrique des paramètres topo-dépendants. L'accent est mis sur la fusion de différents paramètres topo-dépendants et son influence sur la précision de positionnement. L'estimation et la mesure des paramètres topo-dépendants sont également étudiées en utilisant une campagne de mesures ULB afin d'avoir une compréhension complète du domaine de localisation.

Pour faire face à la croissance rapide du trafic mobile, différentes technologies d'accès radio (par exemple, HSPA, LTE, WiFi, et WiMAX) sont intégrées et gérées conjointement. Dans ce contexte, la sélection de TAR est une fonction clé pour améliorer les performances du réseau et l'expérience de l'utilisateur. Elle consiste à décider quelle TAR est la plus appropriée aux mobiles. Quand l'intelligence est poussée à la périphérie du réseau, les mobiles décident de manière autonome de leur meilleur TAR. Ils cherchent à maximiser égoïstement leur utilité. Toutefois, puisque les mobiles ne disposent d'aucune information sur les conditions de charge du réseau, leurs décisions peuvent conduire à une inefficacité de la performance. En outre, déléguer les décisions au réseau optimise la performance globale, mais au prix d'une augmentation de la complexité du réseau, des charges de signalisation et de traitement. Dans cette thèse, au lieu de favoriser une de ces deux approches décisionnelles, nous proposons un cadre de décision hybride: le réseau fournit des informations pour les mobiles pour mieux décider de leur TAR. Plus précisément, les utilisateurs mobiles choisissent leur TAR en fonction de leurs besoins et préférences individuelles, ainsi que des paramètres de coût monétaire et de QoS signalés par le réseau. En ajustant convenablement les informations du réseau, les décisions des utilisateurs répondent globalement aux objectifs de l'opérateur. Nous introduisons d'abord notre cadre de décision hybride. Afin de maximiser l'expérience de l'utilisateur, nous présentons une méthode de décision multicritère (MDMC) basée sur la satisfaction. Outre leurs conditions radio, les utilisateurs mobiles tiennent compte des paramètres de coût et de QoS, signalées par le réseau, pour évaluer les TAR disponibles. En comparaison avec les solutions existantes, notre algorithme répond aux besoins de l'utilisateur (par exemple, les demandes en débit, la tolérance de coût, la classe de trafic), et évite les décisions inadéquates. Une attention particulière est ensuite portée au réseau pour s'assurer qu'il diffuse des informations décisionnelles appropriées, afin de mieux exploiter ses ressources radio alors que les mobiles maximisent leur propre utilité. Nous présentons deux méthodes heuristiques pour dériver dynamiquement quoi signaler aux mobiles. Puisque les paramètres de QoS sont modulées en fonction des conditions de charge, l'exploitation des ressources radio s'est avérée efficace. Aussi, nous nous concentrons sur l'optimisation de l'information du réseau. La dérivation des paramètres de QoS est formulée comme un processus de décision semi-markovien, et les stratégies optimales sont calculées en utilisant l'algorithme de Policy Iteration. En outre, et puisque les paramètres du réseau ne peuvent pas être facilement obtenues, une approche par apprentissage par renforcement est introduite pour dériver quoi signaler aux mobiles. / To cope with the rapid growth of mobile broadband traffic, various radio access technologies (e.g., HSPA, LTE, WiFi, and WiMAX) are being integrated and jointly managed. Radio Access Technology (RAT) selection, devoted to decide to what RAT mobiles should connect, is a key functionality to improve network performance and user experience. When intelligence is pushed to the network edge, mobiles make autonomous decisions regarding selection of their most appropriate RAT. They aim to selfishly maximize their utility. However, because mobiles have no information on network load conditions, their decisions may lead to performance inefficiency. Moreover, delegating decisions to the network optimizes overall performance, but at the cost of increased network complexity, signaling, and processing load. In this thesis, instead of favoring either of these decision-making approaches, we propose a hybrid decision framework: the network provides information for the mobiles to make robust RAT selections. More precisely, mobile users select their RAT depending on their individual needs and preferences, as well as on the monetary cost and QoS parameters signaled by the network. By appropriately tuning network information, user decisions are globally expected to meet operator objectives, avoiding undesirable network states. We first introduce our hybrid decision framework. Decision makings, on the network and user sides, are investigated. To maximize user experience, we present a satisfaction-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method. In addition to their radio conditions, mobile users consider the cost and QoS parameters, signaled by the network, to evaluate serving RATs. In comparison with existing MCDM solutions, our algorithm meets user needs (e.g., traffic class, throughput demand, cost tolerance), avoiding inadequate decisions. A particular attention is then addressed to the network to make sure it broadcasts suitable decisional information, so as to better exploit its radio resources while mobiles maximize their own utility. We present two heuristic methods to dynamically derive what to signal to mobiles. While QoS parameters are modulated as a function of the load conditions, radio resources are shown to be efficiently exploited. Moreover, we focus on optimizing network information. Deriving QoS parameters is formulated as a semi-Markov decision process, and optimal policies are computed using the Policy Iteration algorithm. Also, and since network parameters may not be easily obtained, a reinforcement learning approach is introduced to derive what to signal to mobiles. The performances of optimal, learning-based, and heuristic policies are analyzed. When thresholds are pertinently set, our heuristic method provides performance very close to the optimal solution. Moreover, although lower performances are observed, our learning-based algorithm has the crucial advantage of requiring no prior parameterization.

L’évolution des technologies réseaux sans fil, des terminaux mobiles ainsi que des contenus et des services créent des environnements hétérogènes de plus en plus complexes. Dans ce contexte, un compromis entre la mobilité, la transparence et la performance apparaît. Des utilisateurs mobiles, ayant différents profils et préférences, voudraient être toujours connectés au meilleur réseau à tout moment, sans avoir à se soucier des différentes transitions entre réseaux hétérogènes. Face à cette complexité, il parait nécessaire de proposer de nouvelles approches afin de rendre ces systèmes plus autonomes et de rendre les décisions de handover vertical plus efficaces. Cette thèse se concentre sur la gestion de mobilité verticale, plus précisément sur la prise de décision de handover vertical dans un environnement de réseaux hétérogènes sans fil. Après l’identification des différents paramètres de prise de décision et l’analyse de l’état de l’art relié à la gestion de la mobilité verticale, nous avons proposé un système de réputation qui permet de réduire les délais de prise de décision. La réputation d’un réseau est introduite comme une nouvelle métrique de prise de décision qui peut être recueillie à partir des expériences précédentes des utilisateurs sur ce réseau. Nous montrons que la réputation est une métrique efficace qui permet l’anticipation du handover et accélère la prise de décision. Bien que l’objectif principal soit de garantir la meilleure qualité de service et l’utilisation optimale des ressources radios, les aspects économiques doivent également être considérés, y compris la minimisation des coûts pour les utilisateurs et la maximisation des revenus pour les fournisseurs de services ou les opérateurs. Nous proposons alors, dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, un mécanisme de prise de décision basé sur la théorie des jeux. Ce dernier permet la maximisation des utilités des réseaux et des utilisateurs. Dans cette solution, chaque réseau disponible joue un jeu de Stackelberg avec un ensemble d’utilisateurs, tandis que les utilisateurs jouent un jeu de Nash entre eux pour partager les ressources radios limitées. Un point d’équilibre de Nash, qui maximise l’utilité de l’utilisateur et les revenus des fournisseurs de services, est trouvé et utilisé pour le contrôle d’admission et la prise de décision de handover vertical. Dans la troisième partie de cette thèse, nous proposons et discutons deux différentes solutions architecturales sur lesquelles nos mécanismes de prise de décision proposés peuvent être intégrés. La première architecture proposée est basée sur la norme IEEE 802.21 à laquelle nous proposons certaines extensions. La seconde architecture proposée est basée sur un niveau de contrôle composé de deux couches de virtualisation. La virtualisation est assurée via des agents capables de faire un raisonnement et de prendre des décisions pour le compte d’entités physiques qu’ils représentent au sein du système. Cette architecture permet une plus grande flexibilité / Mobility management over heterogeneous wireless networks is becoming a major interest area as new technologies and services continue to proliferate within the wireless networking market. In this context, seamless mobility is considered to be crucial for ubiquitous computing. Service providers aim to increase the revenue and to improve users’ satisfaction. However there are still many technical and architectural challenges to overcome before achieving the required interoperability and coexistence of heterogeneous wireless access networks. Indeed, the context of wireless networks is offering multiple and heterogeneous technologies (e.g. 2G to 4G, WiFi, Wimax, TETRA,...). On the one hand, this rich environment allows users to take profit from different capacities and coverage characteristics. Indeed, this diversity can provide users with high flexibility and allow them to seamlessly connect at any time and any where to the access technology that best fits their requirements. Additionally, cooperation between these different technologies can provide higher efficiency in the usage of the scarce wireless resources offering more economic systems for network providers. On the other hand, the heterogeneity of technologies and architectures and the multiplication of networks and service providers creates a complex environment where cooperation becomes challenging at different levels including and not limited to mobility management, radio resource provisioning, Quality of Service and security guarantees. This thesis is focusing on mobility management and mainly on decision making for Vertical handover within heterogeneous wireless network environments. After the analysis of the related state of the art, we first propose a reputation based approach that allows fast vertical handover decision making. A decision making scheme is then built on that approach. Network’s reputation, is a new metric that can be gathered from previous users’ experiences in the networks. We show that it is an efficient construct to speed up the vertical handover decision making thanks to anticipation functionalities. While the main objective remains guaranteeing the best Quality of Service and optimal radio resource utilization, economical aspects have also to be considered including cost minimization for users and revenue maximization for network providers. For this aim, we propose, in the second part of the thesis, a game theoretic based scheme that allows maximizing benefits for both networks and users. In this solution, each available network plays a Stackelberg game with a finite set of users, while users are playing a Nash game among themselves to share the limited radio resources. A Nash equilibrium point, that maximizes the user’s utility and the service provider revenue, is found and used for admission control and vertical handover decision making. The analyses of the optimal bandwidth/prices and the revenue at the equilibrium point show that there are some possible policies to use according to user’s requirements in terms of QoS and to network capacities. For instance, we pointed out that networks having same capacities and different reputation values should charge users with different prices which makes reputation management very important to attract users and maximize networks’ revenue. In the third part of this thesis, we provide and discuss two different architectural and implementation solutions on which our proposed vertical handover decision mechanisms can be integrated. The first proposed architecture is a centralized one. It is based on the IEEE 802.21 standard to which some extensions are proposed. The second proposed architecture is distributed. It is based on an overlay control level composed of two virtualization layers able to make reasoning on behalf of physical entities within the system. This architecture allows higher flexibility especially for loosely coupled interconnected networks