Résumé: The performance evaluation of mobile packet switching networks is nowadays an important topic in mobile communications. In the INTERNET, a classical packet switching environment, a hierarchical approach to the mobility management problem has been followed, focusing mainly on macro-level and micro-level mobility: while M obilIP provides a good framework for allowing users to roam between domains, several protocols have been proposed handling local mobility and giving a basic support of intra-domain roaming, e.g., C ELLILAR IP. In order to minimize signalling, and scale to support a growing number of mobile subscribers, C ELLULAR IP supports the notion of passive connectivity, based on the separation between active and idle users. Roughly speaking, location management is executed for idle mobile stations, while route-update management is performed for active mobile stations. Active state is supervised by a timer which, together with a suitable active state timeout, lead to an adequate mobility management. The aim of this paper is to evaluate analytically the signalling load of the C ELLULARIP protocol for location management (Idle state) and route-update management (Active state).

Langue: Anglais