Security Features used for Heterogeneous Networks in Wireless Architecture
Arshi Shamsi, Saoud Sarwar, Shamim Ahmad, Shahroukh Khan · 2012
The ever-increasing demand of users for various wireless communication services has lead to the development and to the coexistence of different, and often incompatible, wireless networks. Each one of these wireless networks has its own unique application and characteristics, as compared to other networks. Moreover, each network continues to evolve individually, most frequently not in a coordinated manner with other networks, further reducing compatibility among these networks. An integrated security mechanism is one of the key challenges in the Open Wireless network Architecture (OWA) because of the diversity of the wireless networks in OWA and the unique security mechanism used in each one of these networks. The overall security of the network is as strong as its weakest component; integration of the overall security mechanism in OWA is of primary importance. In this paper, we comparatively analyze the unique network-centric features and security mechanisms of various heterogeneous wireless networks that are expected to be a part of OWA.