IEEE 802.

21: MIH
(Media Independent Handover Services)

Amit Kr Mandal
 IEEE 802.20: Key Features
 IEEE802.21 Media Independent Handover is an evolution for
all networks, providing capabilities to detect and initiate
handover from one network to another
 mobile devices seamlessly handover between any types of
network.
 A cellular phone switch over to a less expensive Wi-Fi hotspot
and back to the cellular network once the hotspot is no longer
available.
 Laptops can be unplugged from an Ethernet jack and switch
over to Wi-Fi with no loss of connection.

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 IEEE 802.20: Key Features
Hard handover: break the original
connection before setting up the new
one.
Soft handover: make the new
connection before breaking the old
one. Need to use two radios
Horizontal Handover: roaming
within homogeneous technologies
over the same access network (from
one 802.11 access point to another).
Vertical Handover: roaming across
heterogeneous technologies over
different access networks (from 802.3
to 802.11).

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 IEEE 802.21 History and Timeline
 1H2004: WG created
 H2005: Initial draft
 2H2005: Changes to 802.11u, 802.16g, MIPSHOP
 1H2006: WG letter ballot
 2007: Sponsor ballot
 2008: Standard
 2009-10: Deployments

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 802.21 Key Functions
 Reduce power consumption by avoiding unnecessary scanning
and using information. 802.16 module is turned on only if
802.16 is available.
 Reduce power consumption by using backend (core) network
 Reduce handover time by passing security/QoS information to
next point of service
 Allow service providers to enforce their policies and roaming
agreements

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 IEEE 802.21 Features
 Network Selection:
 Allows users to select between 802.3, 802.11, 802.16, 3GPP, 3GPP2
networks
 MS can automatically connect to the right network by observing user
selections or by user policies
 MS can notify user when available networks change or a switch occurs
 Session Continuity:
 Allows make before break handovers
 Open Interface for:
 Link state event reporting
 Intersystem information service
 Handover control (command) service

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 IEEE 802.21 Goals and Non-Goals
 Goals:
 Architecture to enable low-latency handover across multiple
technology access networks
 Help in handover decision making
 Standard functions to help gather network characteristics
 Standard command procedures for seamless handovers
 Supports both station initiated and network initiated handovers
 Non-Goals:
 Define handover policies
 Specify network selection procedure
 Execute handover
 Network detection procedure

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 MIH Function

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 MIH Services
 Event Service: Delivers triggers on events, e.g., link up, link
down, new link available

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 MIH Services
 Event Service: Delivers triggers on events, e.g., link up, link
down, new link available

MI Services Origin Destination Flow Use Cases

(remote MIHF or link up/down/going
MIHF or lower MIHF or upper layer
Event lower layers)->local down, transmission
layers remote or local stack
MIHF -> upper layers status

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 MIH Services
 Command Service: Commands flow from user to MIH and then to link layer
 Commands allow users to switch links
 User communicates separately with each technology
 Commands do not flow from one technology to another

MI Services Origin Destination Flow Use Cases

(remote MIHF or
MIHF or lower layer switch links, get
Command MIHF or upper layers upper layers)-> local
remote or local stack status
MIHF -> lower layers

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 MIH Services
 Access neighbor maps for networks in a geographic area from any network entity.
Wi-Fi hotspot knows about cellular towers and vice versa.
 Static link layer informational parameters. QoS support and restricted networks.
 Use reports to allow efficiency. Channel range prevents the need for scanning.
 Vendor specific features. Prioritize networks, network labels.

MI Services Origin Destination Flow Use Cases

upper or lower layer information elements
upper or lower layer Outside the scope of
Information secure or insecure (IEs), neighbor
remote or local stack the standard.
port reports

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