Advanced IPV6 mobility management for next generation wireless access networks.

The theme of this thesis is the advancement of IP mobility management mechanisms to support robustly the delay requirements of interactive IP applications services. Current IPv6 mobility management standards are heavily dependent on reactive manipulations of the IP handoff process. Such modus operandi appears to be insufficient to address delay transparency during interactive IP communications. By means of proactive sig nalling deliberations with candidate points of attachment, the IP handoff management function can sustain delay transparency and, thus, enhance the perceived quality of communication during the mobile node's (MN's) next IP transition. To this end, we assess to what extent recently proposed IPv6 macro-mobility man agement standards or alternative macro-/micro-mobility proposals meet such expecta tions. We extend our assessment by identifying experimentally factors that impede the performance of interactive applications over IPv6 Mobility standards, with particular focus on the process of IP handoffs. Such factors establish the control hypothesis of IP mobility management performance investigations