Extending Mobile IP Coverage into GSM GPRS


Principal Investigator

Ying-Dar Lin

Sponsor

Far EasTone Telecommunications Company

Keywords

Mobile IP, GSM, GPRS, Roaming, Vertical Handoff, Location Tracking

Abstract

        Mobile IP allows terminal stations to move only within the coverage of Internet, beyond which such access service cannot be provided. On the other hand, GSM GPRS may have wider coverage for mobile service. Sources within GSM GPRS are able to keep track of and access destinations within GPRS as well as Internet. But it is not true for the opposite direction. Sources within Internet cannot access destinations that roam into GSM GPRS. That is, present GPRS and Internet cannot provide bi-directional location tracking.

To overcome problems described above, this project aims to extend mobile IP coverage into GPRS by designing the bi-directional interoperation of mobile IP and GSM GPRS. Work flows and protocols of (1) roaming, (2) vertical handoff, (3) location tracking, (4) sending / receiving data between these two systems will be designed. The gateway integrating these two environments will be designed and prototyped. While several enhancements of the basic protocol will be engineered, a simulation model will be established to analyze the performance and workload of these protocol entities.