The wireless networking scene is dominated by three distinct networking platforms: (a) Cellular networks, passed through multiple generations - 1G, 2G and 3G; (b) Wireless LANs, championed by the IEEE 802.11 WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks; and (c) multi-hop/ad hoc variable topology networks, where portable devices are brought together to form a network on the fly. The vision for 4G wireless networks and beyond is the support of the co-existence and interoperability of heterogeneous wireless networks with varying QoS requirements. Research in this area will help service providers develop strategies to optimally deploy heterogeneous networks. In this context, many technical challenges need to be resolved such as those associated with seamless handovers across different wireless networks, security, billing, network selection, consistent provision of quality of service, etc.
In this symposium, we intend to address and discuss the technical challenges, ideas, views, and research results in heterogeneous wireless networks.
