The wide deployment of mobile networks and the emergence of powerful portable devices has given core to pervasive computing. As particularly addressed by Beyond 3G (B3G) networks, the recent evolution of mobile networks introduces the convergence of wireless technologies, where several radio interfaces are to be used concurrently. Thus, B3G-aware applications shall make the most effective use of this connectivity. In pervasive environments, mobile users may discover and access services offered

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... n the networks using Service Discovery Protocols (SDPs). Several SDPs are currently in use, each one designed for specific target network architecture and setting. Thus, in a multi-radio environment, each SDP does not equally suit each radio interface. In order to provide effective service discovery in multi-radio networks, the most resource efficient interface shall be chosen with respect to two main criteria: the adequacy of the radio interface against the SDP to be used, and energy saving, which is crucial for battery-powered devices. Toward this goal, this paper assesses how to exploit multiple radio interfaces from the standpoint of service discovery and access with respect to energy consumption, and the adequacy of the legacy SDPs with the various networks, so as to classify the most appropriate networks for each SDP.