A Survey on Handover and Mobility Management in 5G HetNets: Current State, Challenges, and Future Directions

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Computer Networks
• Wireless Communication Systems

Background:

• Fifth-generation (5G) networks promise enhanced Quality of Service (QoS), low latency, and high data rates.
• The COVID-19 pandemic introduced complexities in 5G mobility and handover (HO) due to evolving intelligent devices and high-definition (HD) multimedia demands.
• Current cellular networks struggle with efficient data propagation, speed, QoS, latency, and mobility management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively survey handover (HO) and mobility management issues in 5G heterogeneous networks (HetNets).
• To investigate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and existing solutions for HO and mobility challenges within 5G standards.
• To evaluate current models for HO and mobility management concerning energy efficiency, reliability, latency, and scalability.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on 5G mobility and handover management.
• Analysis of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relevant to 5G network performance.
• Evaluation of current research models and their solutions for mobility and handover challenges.

Main Results:

• Identified significant challenges in current HO and mobility management models within 5G networks.
• Evaluated the performance of existing solutions against critical factors like energy efficiency, reliability, latency, and scalability.
• Highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on 5G mobility and handover performance.

Conclusions:

• Existing research models face substantial challenges in addressing HO and mobility management in 5G HetNets.
• Further research is recommended to develop more robust and efficient solutions for 5G mobility and handover.
• Future work should focus on improving energy efficiency, reliability, latency, and scalability in 5G network management.