EPGLU: Enhanced PGLU timer for paging and location update optimization in IEEE 802.16m based WiMAX networks

Power saving in Mobile Wireless Broadband networks is one of the vibrant, important and current areas of research. Mobile WiMAX based on IEEE 802.16e standard provides different Power Saving Modes (PSM) like sleep mode and idle mode to save power in Subscriber Station/Mobile Station(s). The forthcoming IEEE 802.16m standard has extended idle mode with introduction of concept of primary and secondary paging groups with PGLU (Paging Group Location Update) timer for optimization of power saving during paging and location update. In this paper, authors have provided comparative study of power saving due to enhancements in IEEE 802.16m standard with respect to IEEE 802.16e especially in idle mode. In addition to this, authors have proposed a novel idea of Enhanced PGLU (EPGLU) timer to further optimize the paging and location update in 802.16m standard. The simulation results show up to 60 percent decrease in paging signalling overhead and a marginal increase in location update in Mobile Station (MS).