System and method for providing mobility between heterogenous networks in a communication environment

1. A method, comprising:

providing an Internet Protocol (IP) address based on an authentication request associated with a device, the authentication request being associated with a Wi-Fi protocol;

identifying a plurality of Wi-Fi events associated with the IP address during an authentication phase;

mapping the identified Wi-Fi events to a plurality of WiMAX events, wherein the IP address is used to apply a same quality of service (QoS) across a WiMax network and a WiFi network, and wherein a state relation is maintained for the IP address across the WiMAX network and the WiFi network; and

providing a WiMax message, which is based on a particular one of the Wi-Fi events, to a network element;

wherein the mapping is performed for Wi-Fi events that occur during initial network entry of the device prior to a handoff thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mapping further includes converting the particular Wi-Fi event to the WiMax message such that the WiMax message is presented to the network element in a WiMax format.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

communicating a disconnection request to the network element when the device moves from a Wi-Fi coverage area to a WiMax coverage area;

mapping a new WiMax event to a new Wi-Fi event; and

providing a Wi-Fi message, which is based on the new WiMax event, to the device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a single authentication protocol is used to gain access to both the Wi-Fi network and the WiMAX network using the IP address.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the same IP address is used when the device moves from the Wi-Fi network to the WiMax network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the same IP address is used for both the particular Wi-Fi event and the WiMax message.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying includes monitoring a flow for new Wi-Fi events using a daemon provided within an access point.

8. Logic encoded in non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to:

provide an Internet Protocol (IP) address based on an authentication request associated with a device, the authentication request being associated with a Wi-Fi protocol;

identify a plurality of Wi-Fi events associated with the IP address during an authentication phase;

map the identified Wi-Fi events to a plurality of WiMAX events, wherein the IP address is used to apply a same quality of service (QoS) across a WiMAX network and a WiFi network, and wherein a state relation is maintained for the IP address across the WiMAX network and the WiFi network;

provide a WiMAX message, which is based on a particular one of the Wi-Fi events, to a network element;

wherein the mapping is performed for Wi-Fi events that occur during initial network entry of the device prior to a handoff thereof.

9. The logic of claim 8 being further operable to:

convert the particular Wi-Fi event to the WiMAX message such that the WiMAX message is presented to the network element in a WiMAX format.

10. The logic of claim 8 , wherein the same IP address is used for both the particular Wi-Fi event and the WiMax message.

11. The logic of claim 8 being further operable to:

communicate a disconnection request to the network element when the device moves from a Wi-Fi coverage area to a WiMax coverage area;

map a new WiMax event to a new Wi-Fi event; and

provide a Wi-Fi message, which is based on the new WiMax event, to the device.

12. The logic of claim 8 , wherein a single authentication protocol is used to gain access to both the Wi-Fi network and the WiMAX network using the IP address.

13. The logic of claim 8 , wherein the identify logic includes logic to monitor a flow for new Wi-Fi events using a daemon provided within an access point.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element configured to store data,

a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, and

a mapping module configured to:

provide an Internet Protocol (IP) address based on an authentication request associated with a device, the authentication request being associated with a Wi-Fi protocol;

identify a plurality of Wi-Fi events associated with the IP address that occur during an authentication phase;

map each of the identified Wi-Fi events to one of

a plurality of WiMAX events, wherein the IP address is used to apply a same quality of service (QoS) across a WiMAX network and a WiFi network, and wherein a state relation is maintained for the IP address across the WiMAX network and the WiFi network; and

provide a WiMAX message, which is based on a particular one of the Wi-Fi events, to a network element.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the mapping module is further configured to:

convert the particular Wi-Fi event to the WiMAX message such that the WiMAX message is presented to the network element in a WiMax format.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the mapping module is further configured to:

communicate a disconnection request to the network element when the device moves from a Wi-Fi coverage area to a WiMax coverage area;

map a new WiMax event to a new Wi-Fi event; and

provide a Wi-Fi message, which is based on the new WiMax event, to the device.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a single authentication protocol is used to gain access to both the Wi-Fi network and the WiMAX network using the IP address.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the same IP address is used when the device moves from the Wi-Fi network to the WiMax network.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:

a daemon configured to monitor a flow for new Wi-Fi events associated with the device.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:

a data table included within the memory element and operable to store the mappings between the WiMAX events and the identified Wi-Fi events.