Hybrid LiFi/MMW wireless communication system with adaptive vertical handover capability

Abstract

Millimeter wave (MMW) communication was proposed as a high-bandwidth wireless access solution to cope with the increasing user demand for mobile data and has been already standardized in 5G networks. As another highcapacity wireless solution with operation in unregulated optical spectrum, visible light communication, also known as LiFi, was further proposed in the literature. Hybrid wireless networks are particularly attractive to exploit the complementary features of LiFi and MMW technologies. In this paper, we consider a hybrid LiFi/MMW wireless communication system and investigate how to implement efficient vertical handover for improved network performance. Specifically, we propose an adaptive handover technique where handover parameters are determined based on network load and current data rates of users. Our results demonstrate that the proposed handover technique ensures a more balanced distribution of users between two underlying access technologies and improves overall network performance.