Modeling and optimization of zone-based registration considering cell-by-cell location area for mobile communication networks

Zone-based registration (ZBR) has been adopted in most mobile communication networks and there have been numerous analytical models and performance studies of ZBR. However, many previous studies in which ZBR was compared with other registration schemes utilized ring-by-ring location registration area and two-dimensional random walk mobility models. In this study we show that this approach fails to smoothly reflect ZBR's actual operation. As an alternative, we propose a new analytical model that can accurately reflect ZBR's real operation in regard to the shape of a location area and mobility of the mobile stations, to find the optimal size of proposed cell-by-cell location registration area. We provide numerical results using the proposed approach to properly optimize the performance of ZBR under various circumstances. The results demonstrate that the number of cells in a location registration area that minimizes total cost is 2-4, and this approach is more accurate than the previous ring-by-ring location area. The results of this study should be useful for others analyzing the performance of various mobile communication registration systems.