The project will focus on service continuity for mobile users. The aim is to ensure transparent connectivity as users are transitioning between different wireless network technologies. This includes addressing issues like: Roaming, Quality of Service (QoS) and Inter-working between heterogeneous networks. In addition, the project will also study these aspects in case both users and the network are mobile and unreliable.

To achieve service continuity it is fundamental to study end-to-end QoS and resource management across different network technologies and across multiple paths. It is the user perceived quality that ensures the acceptance of a service. In a wireless environment the management of QoS is particularly important. Therefore the project will study the fundamental QoS mechanisms and the level of QoS that can be achieved for each of the technologies addressed. In addition, an end-to-end QoS architecture allowing to maintain QoS for multimedia data flows composing a given service will be defined. Correspondingly the project intends to provide contributions to standard bodies in order to improve existing technologies.

It is anticipated that a transparent service continuity (with the same level of QoS) will not be possible in all cases and for all kind of services. To tackle such situations, enhanced features allowing adaptive service delivery taking into account the available networks capabilities will be defined.

Network Technologies considered in the project include existing and emerging standards like 802.11, Bluetooth, GPRS, UMTS. Corresponding mobility solutions will be elaborated in demonstration platforms showing that services can reach the mobile end-user by automatically finding the route to him with respect to his current physical position.

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