Adaptive Radio Resource Allocation for a Mobile Packet Service in Multibeam Satellite Systems

In this paper, we introduce an adaptive radio resource allocation for IP‐based mobile satellite services. We also present a synchronous multibeam CDMA satellite system using an orthogonal resource sharing mechanism among downlink beams for the adaptive packet transmission. The simulation results, using a Ka‐band mobile satellite channel and various packet scheduling schemes, show that the proposed system and resource allocation scheme improves the beam throughput by more than two times over conventional systems. The simulation results also show that, in multibeam satellite systems, a system‐level adaptation to a user's channel and interference conditions according to user locations and current packet traffic is more efficient in terms of throughput improvement than a user‐level adaptation.     

Downlink scheduling of multiuser MIMO systems with transmit beamforming

This article deals with downlink scheduling for multiuser multiple-input multiple-output （MIMO） systems, where the base station communicates with multiple users simultaneously through transmit beamforming. Most of the existing transmission schemes for multiuser MIMO systems focus on optimizing sum rate performance of the system. The individual quality of service （QoS） requirements （such as packet delay and minimum transmission rate for the data traffic） are rarely considered. In this article, a novel scheduling strategy is proposed, where we try to optimize the global system performance under individual QoS constraints. By performing scheduling into two steps, namely successive user selection and power allocation, the scheduler can achieve efficient resource utilization while maintaining the QoS requirements of all users. Extensive simulations and analysis are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheduler.     

User Selection Criteria for Uplink Spatial Multiplexing MIMO Systems

We study in this paper multiuser uplink scheduling algorithms for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems, where the multiusers compete for the MIMO Channel and the scheduler selects one user at a time based on a certain criterion. Then the selected user spatially multiplexes his data over the transmit antennas. This spatial multiplexing (SM) scheme provides high data rates while the multiuser diversity obtained from scheduling improves the performance of the uplink system. At the receiver, the Vertical-Bell-Labs LAyered Space Time architecture (V-BLAST) is used to detect the information layers. The main contribution of this paper is proposing and comparing the performance of several scheduling criteria for MIMO uplink scheduling. In addition, novel V-BLAST capacity bounds based on random matrix theory is presented. Furthermore, we investigate suboptimal schedulers and compare their performance. The main results of this study show that the scheduler that maximizes the optimal MIMO capacity doesn’t work well for a V-BLAST system. Instead, the optimal scheduler that maximizes the V-BLAST capacity is derived and analyzed. In addition, we look into scheduling for SM with sphere decoding and we find that in this case, using MIMO capacity as the scheduling criterion performs the best.     

Cross‐layer packet scheduler for QoS support over Digital Video Broadcasting‐Second Generation broadband satellite systems

This article presents a cross‐layer packet scheduler to provide end‐to‐end QoS guarantees for Digital Video Broadcasting‐Second Generation (DVB‐S2) broadband satellite systems. The scheduler design is based on a cross‐layer mechanism defined between the physical and the network layer. It includes an algorithm to guarantee the required QoS specifications established in the service level agreement. The algorithm calculation depends basically on two parameters: the available bandwidth present in a DVB‐S2 satellite link and the QoS requirements of each traffic class defined by the satellite operator. The cross‐layer scheduler's operation is demonstrated using the NS‐2 simulator tool. The results show that the proposed mechanism maximizes the bandwidth utilization while enforcing the priority level of each service class when an extreme reduction of bandwidth caused by rain events is experienced. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combined Connection Admission Control and Packet Transmission Scheduling for Mobile Internet Services

Mobile Internet access is expected to be the most popular communication service in the near future. In this paper, we investigate radio resource management for mobile Internet multimedia systems that use the orthogonal frequency division multiple access and adopt the adaptive modulation and coding technique. It is assumed that real-time (RT) service such as streaming video and best-effort (BE) services such as file transfer protocol and hypertext transfer protocol coexist in the systems. We suggest two levels of radio resource management schemes: the connection admission control (CAC) scheme at the first level and the packet transmission scheduler at the second level. The proposed scheduler does not assign higher priority to RT packets over BE packets unconditionally. Instead, only the RT packets that are close to the deadline are given higher priority. Therefore, the performance of BE services is improved at the cost of RT services. To control the performance degradation in RT services within an acceptable level, the CAC algorithm functions as a congestion controller. The combined effects of the proposed CAC and packet scheduling by using the cross-layer simulation that covers from the physical layer to the Internet application layer are evaluated. The numerical results show that the proposed schemes greatly improve the performance of BE services while maintaining the quality of video service at an acceptable level.     

Downlink SINR Distribution of Linearly Precoded Multiuser MIMO Systems

This paper derives mathematical expressions for the SINR distribution in systems with linearly precoded multiuser MIMO and frequency domain packet scheduling. The packet scheduler is able to exploit the available multiuser diversity in both time, frequency and spatial domains. Our analysis model is confined to 3GPP downlink transmission in which we specifically investigate the single user (SU) and multi-user (MU) spatial division multiplexing (SDM) MIMO schemes. From the analytical results we find that the outage probability for systems using the SU-MIMO scheme is larger than the one for the MU-MIMO scheme. Also, in comparison to systems without precoding, linear precoding can improve the outage probability.     

Cross‐layer design for MIMO systems over spatially correlated and keyhole Nakagami‐m fading channels

Cross‐layer design is a generic designation for a set of efficient adaptive transmission schemes, across multiple layers of the protocol stack, that are aimed at enhancing the spectral efficiency and increasing the transmission reliability of wireless communication systems. In this paper, one such cross‐layer design scheme that combines physical layer adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) with link layer truncated automatic repeat request (T‐ARQ) is proposed for multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) systems employing orthogonal space‐‐time block coding (OSTBC). The performance of the proposed cross‐layer design is evaluated in terms of achievable average spectral efficiency (ASE), average packet loss rate (PLR) and outage probability, for which analytical expressions are derived, considering transmission over two types of MIMO fading channels, namely, spatially correlated Nakagami‐m fading channels and keyhole Nakagami‐m fading channels. Furthermore, the effects of the maximum number of ARQ retransmissions, numbers of transmit and receive antennas, Nakagami fading parameter and spatial correlation parameters, are studied and discussed based on numerical results and comparisons. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Low-Complexity QoS-Aware Proportional Fair Multicarrier Scheduling Algorithm for OFDM Systems

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems are the major cellular platforms for supporting ubiquitous high-speed mobile applications. However, a number of research challenges remain to be tackled. One of the most important challenges is the design of a judicious packet scheduler that will make efficient use of the spectrum bandwidth. Due to the multicarrier nature of the OFDM systems, the applicability and performance of traditional wireless packet-scheduling algorithms, which are usually designed for single-carrier systems, are largely unknown. In this paper, we propose a new quality-of-service (QoS)-aware proportional fairness (QPF) packet-scheduling policy with low complexity for the downlink of multiuser OFDM systems to allocate radio resources among users. Our proposed algorithm is based on a cross-layer design in that the scheduler is aware of both the channel (i.e., physical layer) and the queue state (i.e., data link layer) information to achieve proportional fairness while maximizing each user's packet-level QoS performance. The simulation results show that the proposed QPF algorithm is efficient in terms of average system throughput, packet-dropping probability, and packet delay, while maintaining adequate fairness among users with relatively low scheduling overhead.      

An Approach to Scheduling Bursty Traffic

The scheduling scheme in packet switching networks is one of the most critical features that can affect the performance of the network. Hence, many scheduling algorithms have been suggested and some indices, such as fairness and latency, have been proposed for the comparison of their performances. While the nature of Internet traffic is bursty, traditional scheduling algorithms try to smooth the traffic and serve the users based on this smoothed traffic. As a result, the fairness index mainly considers this smoothed traffic and the service rate as the main parameter to differentiate among different sessions or flows. This work uses burstiness as a differentiating factor to evaluate scheduling algorithms proposed in the literature. To achieve this goal, a new index that evaluates the performance of a scheduler with bursty traffic is introduced. Additionally, this paper introduces a new scheduler that not only uses arrival rates but also considers burstiness parameters in its scheduling algorithms.     

Layered space–time block code for hybrid satellite–terrestrial broadcasting systems

Multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) is a topic of high interest for the next generation of broadcasting systems. Even if they have begun to be proposed for the second generation of terrestrial digital TV, there are still gaps in the deployment of MIMO schemes in single‐frequency networks. This deployment becomes more critical when a hybrid satellite–terrestrial transmission is adopted because of the different aspects of the respective transmission links. In this paper, we propose to apply a layered space–time block code (LSTBC) for MIMO schemes in this hybrid transmission for next‐generation handheld (NGH) systems. The contribution of this paper is multi‐fold. First, we detail the land mobile satellite channel specifications describing the satellite link. Then, we propose to apply a MIMO scheme between the antennas of the satellite site and the terrestrial site. Then, we introduce the LSTBC scheme for NGH broadcasting systems. The proposed code is based on a layered construction designed to be efficient in shadowing regions. This efficiency is verified in a line‐of‐sight situation but also in low, moderate and deep shadow situations. The LSTBC scheme is then a very promising candidate for NGH systems with MIMO transmission. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient packet scheduling for heterogeneous multimedia provisioning over broadband satellite networks: An adaptive multidimensional QoS‐based design

With their inherent broadcast capabilities and reliable extensive geographical coverage, the broadband satellite networks are emerging as a promising approach for the delivery of multimedia services in 3G and beyond systems. Given the limited capacity of the satellite component, to meet the diverse quality of service (QoS) demands of multimedia applications, it is highly desired that the available resources can be adaptively utilized in an optimized way. In this paper, we draw our attention on the development and evaluation of an efficient packet scheduling scheme in a representative broadband satellite system, namely satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (SDMB), which is positioned as one of the most attractive solutions in the convergence of a closer integration with the terrestrial mobile networks for a cost‐effective delivery of point‐to‐multipoint services. By taking into account essential aspects of a successful QoS provisioning while preserving the system power/resource constraints, the proposed adaptive multidimensional QoS‐based (AMQ) packet scheduling scheme in this paper aims to effectively satisfy diverse QoS requirements and adaptively optimize the resource utilization for the satellite multimedia broadcasting. The proposed scheme is formulated via an adaptive service prioritization algorithm and an adaptive resource allocation algorithm. By taking into account essential performance criteria, the former is capable of prioritizing contending flows based on the QoS preferences and performance dynamics, while the latter allocates the resources, in an adaptive manner, according to the current QoS satisfaction degree of each session. Simulation results show that the AMQ scheme achieves significantly better performance than those of existing schemes on multiple performance metrics, e.g. delay, throughput, channel utilization and fairness. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Power efficient scheduling over fading channel for cross‐layer optimization

We consider the minimization of long‐term average power consumption for packet transmission between a mobile station and the base station over Nakagami‐m fading channel. Power consumption is minimized by intelligent transmission scheduling design, with the average queuing delay and joint packet loss across MAC and physical layers being confined below certain levels. The problem is formulated as an infinite horizon constrained Markov decision problem and solved by linear programming (LP) method. The primary intention of this paper is to provide a visible paradigm on using LP method to optimize the performance of mobile wireless communication systems. We elaborate the detailed mathematical solution with consistent simulation experiments and emphasize the effectiveness of adaptive transmission scheduling for cross‐layer QoS provisioning. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Cross-Layer Delay Differentiation Packet Scheduling Scheme for Multimedia Content Delivery in 3G Satellite Multimedia Systems

The design of efficient packet scheduling algorithms, which play a key role in the radio resource management (RRM), is crucial for the multimedia delivery in the satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (SDMB) system. In this paper, a novel packet scheduling scheme, which uses the cross-layer approach in its design, is proposed. This scheme comprises a new service prioritization algorithm and a dynamic rate matching based resource allocation algorithm, aimed at utilizing both the applications' QoS attributes and the physical layer data rate information. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated via simulation. In comparison with existing schemes, the proposed scheme achieves significant performance gain on delay, delay variation and physical channel utilization.      

Packet level performance analysis of a packet scheduler exploiting multiuser diversity

In this paper, we consider a packet scheduler exploiting multiuser diversity in a wireless network with AMC (Adaptive Modulation and Coding), and propose a packet level performance model based on the effective bandwidth theory to investigate the joint effect of the AMC and the multiuser diversity scheduling on the scheduler performance. Based on our performance model and analysis, we investigate the packet level performance behavior of the scheduler. Numerical studies are also provided to show the usefulness of our packet level performance model in the design of the packet scheduler.     

Practical MIMO aspects in dual polarization per beam mobile satellite broadcasting

Building upon a number of recent publications promoting the use of multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) over dual polarization per beam mobile satellite broadcasting (MSB), the present paper sets MIMO well on its way for practical implementation in next‐generation MSB by analyzing critical aspects of this novel architecture. Specifically, it carries out a sensitivity analysis of various system parameters including how time interleaving, terminal antenna cross‐polarization discrimination and intrasytem interference impact MIMO performance. Next, the paper proposes a channel estimation approach compatible with the latest digital video broadcasting‐satellite to handheld (DVB‐SH) standard for MIMO land mobile satellite (LMS) channel estimation. Finally, the impact of non‐linear distortion on the most prominent space–time coding alternatives is investigated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of Radio Resource Allocation in LTE Uplink

Long term evolution (LTE) uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) as the downlink and uplink transmission schemes respectively. The Quality of Service (QoS) provision to users is one of the key objectives of the wireless network operators. This paper analyses an uplink LTE radio scheduler, called bandwidth and QoS aware (BQA) scheduler and evaluates its QoS performance. The BQA uplink scheduler is designed to provide efficient and fair allocation of the radio resources to users according to: the QoS of various traffic classes and the instantaneous channel conditions. The scheduler functionality is divided into time domain packet scheduling (TDPS) and frequency domain packet scheduling (FDPS). In this paper, an innovative feature, that is user QoS provisioning with dynamic QoS weights, is employed for the BQA scheduler along with multi-bearer users support. The QoS performance of the BQA scheduler is analyzed in several simulation scenarios using heterogeneous traffic environment. The results show that the BQA scheduler guarantees provision of QoS to users.     

A packet scheduling scheme for 4G wireless access systems aiming to maximize revenue for the telecom carriers

Efficient utilization of network resources is a key goal for emerging BWAS. This is a complex goal to achieve due to the heterogeneous service nature and diverse QoS requirements of various applications that BWAS support. Packet scheduling is an important activity that affects BWAS QoS outcomes. This paper proposes a new packet scheduling mechanism that improves QoS in mobile wireless networks which exploit IP as a transport technology for data transfer between BWAS base stations and mobile users at the radio transmission layer. In order to improve BWAS QoS the new packet algorithm makes changes at both the IP and the radio layers. The new algorithm exploits handoff priority scheduling principles and takes into account buffer occupancy and channel conditions. The packet scheduling mechanism also incorporates the concept of fairness. The algorithm offers an opportunity to maximize the carriers’ revenue at various traffic situations. Simulation results were compared to well-known algorithms which demonstrated the new packet scheduling algorithm is able to provide a low handoff packet drop rate, low packet forwarding rate, low packet delay, ensure fairness amongst the users of different services and generates higher revenue. Furthermore this research proposes a new and novel measure named “Satisfaction Factor” to measure the efficacy of various scheduling schemes and finally proposes four performance metrics for NodeB’s of in Next Generation Wireless Networks.     

空间相关信道下的交替多用户调度算法

针对多用户多输入多输出（MIMO）系统,研究了空间相关信道下的多用户调度问题。通过推导用户信道向量夹角的统计特征,分析了多用户调度算法对所调度用户间正交性的影响。分析结果表明在空间相关信道下现有基于串行搜索的调度方法在统计意义上降低了被调度用户之间的正交性,从而导致基于串行搜索的调度算法与最优的穷举搜索之间存在较大的性能差距。为了提高相关信道下多用户MIMO系统的性能,提出了一种基于交替搜索的多用户调度算法及其低复杂度实现方法。仿真结果表明,所提出的用户调度算法能够有效地弥补基于串行搜索的调度方法的性能损失,在空间独立信道和空间相关信道下以较低的计算复杂度获得接近穷举搜索的最优性能。      

Throughput enhanced scheduling (TES) scheme for ultra‐dense networks

This paper proposes two novel packet scheduling schemes, called as throughput enhanced scheduling (TES) and TES plus (TES+), for future ultra‐dense networks. These schemes introduce two novel parameters to the scheduling decision making and reformulate the parameters used by the state‐of‐the‐art schemes. The aim is to have a more balanced weight distribution between delay and throughput‐related parameters at scheduling decisions. Also include a new telecommunications related parameter into scheduling decision making that has not been studied by popular schedulers. The performance of novel schemes is compared with well‐known schemes—proportional fairness (PF), exponential/proportional fairness (EXP/PF), and M‐LWDF. For performance evaluation, five performance metrics—average spectral efficiency and delay, quality of service (QoS) violation ratio, jitter, and Jain's fairness index—are investigated. The simulation results show that proposed schemes can outperform all the compared scheduling schemes.     

Random access schemes for satellite networks,from VSAT to M2M: a survey

In this survey paper, we review the random access (RA) techniques with particular emphasis on the issues and the possible solutions applicable to satellite networks. RA dates back to the 1970s when the ALOHA protocol was developed to solve the problem of interconnecting university computers located in different Hawaiian islands. Since then, several evolutions of the ALOHA protocol have been developed. In particular, solutions were devised to mitigate the problem of packet collisions severely degrading the RA protocols performance. The approach followed for many years has been to avoid the occurrence of collisions rather than solving them. More recently, techniques tackling the RA packet collision problem have appeared triggered by the need of improving RA performance in satellite and terrestrial wireless networks. In particular, satellite networks large propagation delay does not allow the adoption of enhanced terrestrial RA techniques based on channel sensing. Adopting conventional demand assignment multiple access protocols is not suitable for supporting a large number of sensors or devices transmitting small‐size low duty cycle packets as required for machine‐to‐machine communications. This provided the stimulus to exploit successive interference cancelation schemes to solve packet collision issues. The use of successive interference cancelation in RA is relatively new and has opened up a promising research area. We provide an extensive review of recent high‐performance RA techniques achieving more than three orders of magnitude throughput increase compared with the original ALOHA at low packet loss rate. In this survey, we cover both slotted and unslotted techniques. Finally, we review the use of RA in satellite systems and related standards including recent proposals for machine‐to‐machine applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.