A Comparative Analysis of UMTS with the Loosely Coupled Integrated UMTS/WLAN Networks

To provide seamless internet connectivity anywhere at any time to the mobile users, there is a strong demand for the integration of wireless access networks for all-IP based Next Generation Networks (NGNs). The major limitation of UMTS networks is that they do not efficiently serve indoor, small and densely populated areas, i.e., hotspots. On the other hand, such hotspots where bandwidth intensive applications are more demanding can be efficiently served by the Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Consequently, integrated UMTS/WLAN network can provide ubiquitous connectivity and high data rate to the end user. This paper focuses on the design and evaluation of the proposed Dual Mode Mobile Terminal (DMMT) that is capable to connect with the UMTS as well as WLAN networks. It has been observed that the proposed mobile device enhances the data services experience of wireless user in the WLAN coverage region of a loosely coupled integrated UMTS/WLAN network than the traditional 3G User Equipment (UE) for all the applied application and measurement parameters.