A noncooperative game-theoretic vertical handoff in 4G heterogeneous wireless networks

Proactive handoff is expected to be one of the distinct feature of 4G heterogeneous wireless systems, which is obviously different from the passive handoff commonly existed in traditional cellular systems. Users with multi-network interface terminals can actively and easily handoff to access network for better QoS satisfaction at a minimum expense, on the other hand, service providers (SPs) will have to face more intense competition for attracting more users to maximize their profits. In this paper, the relationship between competitive SPs and users is modeled as a noncooperative game, and the Nash equilibrium solutions corresponding to the best response price offered by SP are obtained. Based on the optimal prices, a novel vertical handoff algorithm for maximizing user performance-price-ratio is proposed. Numerical results demonstrate that all SPs can attain maximal profits from the Nash equilibrium results, and both of the network utilization efficiency and user QoS can be guaranteed.