Heterogeneous Mobility in Next Generation Devices: An Android-Based Case Study

The fast growing of mobile Internet users with the ability of using a wide diversity of access technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and UMTS/LTE, and the increasing proliferation of mobile devices with heterogeneous network interfaces, require versatile mobility mechanisms providing seamless roaming across those access technologies. Mobility agents such as Mobile IP and Fast MIPv6 are common, however, these solutions still have limitations when dealing with multiple link-layer technology. In this context, the emerging standard IEEE 802.21 provides a framework which enables mobile agents and network operators to improve the handover process in heterogeneous networks. This paper debates and presents a case study of heterogeneous mobility on an Android device, using the IEEE 802.21 framework. Resorting to an experimental testbed, including a modified Android user terminal, the obtained results show that the proposed solution is a first step to successfully accomplish seamless mobility of Android-based devices operating on 3G and Wi-Fi networks.