HWN* Framework Towards 4G Mobile Communication Networks

The objective of the Hybrid Wireless Network with dedicated Relay Nodes (HWN*) proposal is to interface the Base Station (BS) Oriented Mobile Network (BSON) and the 802.11X assisted Mobile Ad hoc Wireless Network (MANET) so that one system can be utilised as an alternative radio access network for data transmissions, while the incorporation of the Relay Node (RN) is to extend the communication coverage, optimise medium resource sharing, increase spatial reuse opportunity, stabilise MANET link and create more micro-cells. The HWN* keeps the existing cellular infrastructure and a end-user Mobile Terminal (MT) can borrow radio resources from other cells through secured multi-hop RN relaying, where RNs are placed at pre-engineered locations. The main contribution of this work is the development of a HWN* system framework and related medium access and routing protocols/algorithms. The framework dedicatedly addresses the transparent multiple interface traffic handover management, cross layer routing, RN positioning and network topology issues to increase communication system capacity, improve Quality of Service (QoS), optimise transmission delay and reduce packet delivery delay.