Wireless communication system, server and mobile station therefor

A server in a wireless communication system, said server comprising:

• a communication unit which receives from a mobile station notification of identifiers of available foreign wireless interfaces, which are accommodated by each of a plurality of access points and differ from a wireless interface of said mobile station;
• and
• a control unit which collects managerial data measured at said plurality of access points and selects a foreign wireless interface based on said notification and said managerial data,
• wherein the notification comprises the identifiers and communication conditions of the available foreign wireless interfaces notified from said mobile station, and said server includes means for selecting a wireless interface operating at the highest data rate from said available foreign wireless interfaces as an in-service wireless interface,
• wherein said communication unit sends notification of the selected foreign wireless interface's identifier to the mobile station,
• wherein said communication unit receives a handover request message from said mobile station to execute a handover from one of the plurality of access points which accommodates the mobile station using one of the foreign wireless interfaces to another one of the plurality of access points which corresponds to the target of the handover using the foreign wireless interface selected by the server,
• wherein said control unit controls packet transmission path routing, based on said-handover request message from the mobile station, and
• wherein the managerial data comprises radio conditions of the wireless interfaces accommodated by the access points, packet discard ratios, packet error counts, a number of packets received at the access points, and an amount of data received per unit.

A wireless communication system, comprising:

• a mobile station using a plurality of wireless interfaces;
• a plurality of access points;
• and
• a server, wherein the mobile station determines available interfaces' identifiers of the plurality of wireless interfaces, and sends the available interfaces' identifiers to an first access point which accommodates the mobile station,
• the first access point sends the available interfaces' identifiers to the server,
• the server collects managerial data measured at the plurality of access points, selects based on the managerial data one available interface's identifier from available interfaces' identifiers sent from the first access point, and sends the selected available interface's identifier to the first access point,
• the first access point sends the selected available interface's identifier to the mobile station,
• the mobile station sends to the first access point a hand over request to hand over the mobile station from the first access point to a second access point based on the selected available interface's identifier,
• the first access point sends the hand over request to the server, and
• the server changes a packet transmission path via the first access point to the packet transmission path via the second access point based on the handover request, and
• wherein the managerial data comprises radio conditions of the wireless interfaces accommodated by the access points, packet discard ratios, packet error counts, a number of packets received at the access points, and an amount of data received per unit.