Abstract
In this paper we investigate the impact that introduction of new ambient networks (AN) functionality will have on usage of system resources and on connection delay. The signalling load for multiple attachment and negotiation procedures is assessed by modelling signalling sequences for a WLAN system enabled with AN technology. The load is computed for varying numbers of users and for users with different levels of "willingness to evaluate and negotiate offers". The results show that the most important parameter is the number of attachment attempts per time unit, which is an indicator of user activity level. In the investigated scenarios, the relative load of signalling is 0.1 - 1.0 % of the transferred user data. The delay depends on the current load situation of the network.