Mobility Management in Next Generation Networks: Analysis of Handover in Micro and Macro Mobility Protocols

One of the main issues with Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) is slow handovers. Mobility protocols are classified as micro or macro depending on the domain of the network. When macro mobility protocols are used in managing localized mobility requirements, they result in slow handovers and delays that result in loss of packets and make these protocols unsuitable for time sensitive applications. Micro mobility management protocols have been proposed to resolve this issue. Some of these localized protocols are more attractive as they keep mobility restricted to the network that removes the need of having mobility management support in their software stack. In other protocols hosts are involved in mobility management. In this paper we will review the concept of mobility and the mobility protocols available in IPv6. We will discuss proposed protocols aimed at macro and micro mobility management by grouping them according to their host or network based management approach. We will also compare their handover performance.