Network selection decision in wireless heterogeneous networks

In future wireless and mobile environments it is likely that users will have access to multiple networks at the same time. Therefore there is a need to have mechanisms in place to decide which network is the most suitable for each user at each moment in time for every application that the user requires. We propose a user-centric solution where users choose the radio access network which meets their data transfer terms best. Naturally, each user wants timely quality data delivery at a low cost. In the radio environment data rates can never be guaranteed due to the unreliable nature of the radio links. The user network selection algorithm needs to predict the data rate on offer in each of the available networks and make the decision based on those predictions. This paper allows the user to select the network that will maximise the consumer surplus for non real-time data, while taking into account the delays.