Program handoff between devices and program network offloading

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a user device, a connection with a network;

receiving, by the user device, a video program via the network;

buffering, by the user device, upon initially receiving the video program and before initially playing the video program, a portion of the video program based on a network offloading time, wherein the network offloading time corresponds to a period of time to complete a network offloading;

determining, by the user device and subsequent to the buffering, whether the network offloading to another network is to be performed; and

playing, by the user device, the portion of the video program or a subsequently buffered portion of the video program during an execution of the network offloading, in response to the determining that the network offloading is to be performed, wherein the subsequently buffered portion of the video program is based on the network offloading time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises:

storing connection priority rules that indicate a priority of one or more networks for the user device with which to connect;

detecting a presence of the other network; and

determining whether the other network is a priority network based on the connection priority rules.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a position of a user receiving the video program;

identifying the position of the user relative to a boundary of the other network;

identifying a speed and a direction associated with a mobility of the user; and

predicting whether the network offloading is to be performed based on the user's position, the position of the user relative to the boundary of the other network, and the speed and the direction associated with the mobility of the user.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the receiving the video program is via a streaming service and wherein the network offloading time is based on a prediction of when the network offloading to the other network is to occur and a time period it takes to execute the network offloading based on the prediction.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing video program location tracking of the video program; and

transmitting video program location information to the network, wherein the video program location information corresponds to a video program location included in the portion of the video program that is buffered.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network includes a mobile network and the other network includes one of a WiFi network, an Ultra Wide Band network, or a High Performance Radio Local Area Network 2 network, and the method further comprising:

generating an advanced network offloading alert that includes a predictive program location, wherein the predictive program location is calculated based on predictive factors, wherein the predictive factors include a duration of time the video program will continue to play before a connection with the other network is established.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

buffering, by the user device, one or more other portions of the video program via the network, in response to determining that the network offloading is not to be performed.

8. A mobile device comprising:

a communication interface;

one or more memories that store instructions; and

one or more processors that execute the instructions to:

store a network offloading time that corresponds to a time for the mobile device to complete a handover between wireless networks;

establish, via the communication interface, a wireless connection with a wireless network;

receive, via the communication interface, a video program via the wireless network;

buffer, upon initially receiving the video program and before initially playing the video program, a portion of the video program based on the network offloading time;

determine, subsequent to buffering, whether network offloading is to be performed; and

play the portion of the video program or a subsequently buffered portion of the video program during an execution of the network offloading, in response to a determination that the network offloading is to be performed, wherein the subsequently buffered portion of the video program is based on the network offloading time.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 , wherein when receiving the video program, the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

receive, via the communication interface, the video program via a streaming service or a downloading service.

10. The mobile device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

identify a position of the mobile device relative to a boundary of another wireless network;

identify a speed and a direction associated with the mobile device;

predict whether network offloading is to be performed based on the position of the mobile device relative to the boundary of the other wireless network and the speed and the direction associated with the mobile device;

generate an advanced network offloading notification in response to a prediction that the network offloading is to be performed; and

communicate the advanced network offloading notification to a mobile application playing the video program.

11. The mobile device of claim 8 , further comprising:

one or more memories to store connection priority rules that indicate a priority of one or more wireless networks for the mobile device to connect, wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

detect, via the communication interface, a presence of another wireless network;

determine whether the detected other wireless network is a priority network based on the connection priority rules;

establish, via the communication interface, a wireless connection with the detected other wireless network when the detected other wireless network is the priority network;

release, via the communication interface, the wireless connection with the wireless network; and

play the video program from a program location subsequent to the buffered portion of the video program.

12. The mobile device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

receive user credential data via a graphical user interface;

transmit, via the communication interface, the user credential data to the wireless network;

store the user credential data;

provide, via the communication interface, the stored user credential data when establishing another wireless connection based on the execution of the network offloading; and

receive, via the communication interface, a remaining portion of the video program via the other wireless connection.

13. The mobile device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

continue to receive, via the communication interface, the video program via the wireless network in response to a determination that the network offloading is not to be performed.

14. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by a mobile device, wherein the instructions include instructions for:

storing a network offloading time;

establishing a wireless connection with a network;

receiving a video program from the network;

buffering, upon initially receiving the video program and before initially playing the video program, a portion of the video program based on the stored network offloading time, wherein the network offloading time corresponds to a period of time to complete a network offloading;

determining, subsequent to the buffering, whether the network offloading is to be performed; and

playing the portion of the video program or a subsequently buffered portion of the video program during an execution of the network offloading in response to determining that the network offloading is to be performed, wherein the subsequently buffered portion of the video program is based on the network offloading time.

15. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions for:

performing video program location tracking of the video program;

storing a video program location; and

transmitting the video program location in response to determining that the network offloading is to be performed.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions for:

predicting when the network offloading is to be performed based on mobility information associated with the mobile device and a position of the mobile device relative to a priority network.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions for:

receiving user credential information;

transmitting the user credential information to the network;

storing the user credential information;

transmitting the user credential information when establishing another wireless connection to continue the playing of the video program after the execution of the network offloading; and

deleting the user credential information when the playing of the video program is completed.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions for:

storing connection priority rules; and

determining whether network offloading is to be performed based on the connection priority rules, wherein the connection priority rules include a rule that provides less priority to one or more mobile networks of which a user of the mobile device is subscribed than one or more local area networks of which the user is authorized to use.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions for:

continuing to receive the video program from the network in response to determining that the network offloading is not to be performed.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the video program is received via a streaming service or a downloading service.