Seamless connectivity in 4G wireless networks requires the development of intelligent proactive mechanisms for efficiently predicting vertical handovers. Random device mobility patterns further increase the complexity of the handover process. Geographical topologies such as indoor and outdoor environments also exert additional constraints on network coverage and device mobility. The ability of a device to acquire refined knowledge about surrounding network coverage can significantly affect the performance of vertical handover prediction and QoS management mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of research work conducted in the area of 4G wireless network coverage prediction for the optimisation of vertical handovers. It discusses different coverage prediction approaches and analyses their ability to accurately predict network coverage
