How a new realistic mobility model can affect the relative performance of a mobile networking scheme

The validity of the mobility model used to evaluate a cellular network determines the validity of the evaluation. In the literature, unrealistic assumptions on mobility are exercised for the sake of simplicity. In this paper, we present a novel mobility model which is realistic in the sense that it captures the moving-in-groups, conscious traveling and inertial behaviours of the subscribers while respecting the non-pass-through feature of structures like households and preserving the autonomy of the subscribers. The mobility and call patterns of the subscribers are determined according to the locus of the subscriber over a real map. Thus, our model allows the subscribers to leave home or arrive home, walk or drive in the streets, get on the highways at specific entry points together with numerous hot and blind spots in the terrain, like city centers and lakes. The call pattern of a subscriber is affected by the type of structure he is in. The model can work on real maps to simulate the mobility patterns in real life. We have evaluated the proposed model against the well-known way point mobility model. We also analyzed the effect of the mobility model on systems with and without guard channels. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.