Abstract: Heterogeneous wireless network will be dominant in next generation wireless networks (NGWN). Increasing user demands and the growing interest of service providers to offer diverse applications have motivated the integration of heterogeneous wireless networks which enable the users to move seamlessly across different types of networks and to enjoy anytime, anywhere services. So, the trending factor for next generation wireless networks will be heterogeneity of access networks, various networks are brought together to form an heterogeneous wireless network environment. Mobile users are now equipped with multimode capabilities that has the ability to select more than one type of network. In such type of heterogeneous network the mobile users may be having more than one access point to select for seamless service delivery and service continuity across the network environment. The proposed system architecture explicitly takes into account the user preference and context data for selection of optimal network. The system is based on IEEE 802.21 MIH (media independent handoff) framework. The proposed system best meets the need of user and ensures the selection of optimal network to perform handoff in heterogeneous wireless network environment.

Keywords: Media independent handoff, Vertical handoff, Horizontal Handoff, Mobility Management.