An efficient multi-criteria cell selection handover mechanism for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)

Abstract

The deployment of cost-effective small cells to create ultra-high-density (UDN) heterogeneous networks in 5 G networks has emerged as a potentially effective strategy for enhancing network coverage and optimising resource allocation. However, UDN makes network selection more challenging due to the densification of small cells in 5 G and their heterogeneity. This research presents an efficient small cell selection handover mechanism for 5 G V2X networks. The proposed mechanism uses a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique for the handover best cell selection to improve the overall performance. The proposed handover mechanism is context sensitive and it adapts to changing network conditions, ensuring efficient handovers during high-speed vehicular movement. Furthermore, the mechanism incorporates the concept of small cell Stay Time, which may reduce unnecessary handovers. The simulation results reveal that the proposed mechanism outperforms traditional handover techniques and Handover Decision-making Algorithm (HDMA) mechanisms significantly in terms of reducing the number of frequent handovers, minimizing link failures, and minimizing ping-pong with an average of 66 % reduction for unnecessary handovers.