Mobile Networks

The growth in the use of mobile networks has come mainly with the third generation systems and voice traffic. With the current third generation and the arrival of the 4G, the number of mobile users in the world will exceed the number of landlines users. Audio and video streaming have had a significant increase, parallel to the requirements of bandwidth and quality of service demanded by those applications. Mobile networks require that the applications and protocols that have worked successfully in fixed networks can be used with the same level of quality in mobile scenarios. Until the third generation of mobile networks, the need to ensure reliable handovers was still an important issue. On the eve of a new generation of access networks (4G) and increased connectivity between networks of different characteristics commonly called hybrid (satellite, ad-hoc, sensors, wired, WIMAX, LAN, etc.), it is necessary to transfer mechanisms of mobility to future generations of networks. In order to achieve this, it is essential to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of current protocols and the diverse topologies to suit the new mobility conditions

Energy Efficiency in Communications and Networks

The topic of "Energy Efficiency in Communications and Networks" attracts growing attention due to economical and environmental reasons. The amount of power consumed by information and communication technologies (ICT) is rapidly increasing, as well as the energy bill of service providers. According to a number of studies, ICT alone is responsible for a percentage which varies from 2% to 10% of the world power consumption. Thus, driving rising cost and sustainability concerns about the energy footprint of the IT infrastructure. Energy-efficiency is an aspect that until recently was only considered for battery driven devices. Today we see energy-efficiency becoming a pervasive issue that will need to be considered in all technology areas from device technology to systems management. This book is seeking to provide a compilation of novel research contributions on hardware design, architectures, protocols and algorithms that will improve the energy efficiency of communication devices and networks and lead to a more energy proportional technology infrastructure

Performance Modelling and Resource Allocation of the Emerging Network Architectures for Future Internet

With the rapid development of information and communications technologies, the traditional network architecture has approached to its performance limit, and thus is unable to meet the requirements of various resource-hungry applications. Significant infrastructure improvements to the network domain are urgently needed to guarantee the continuous network evolution and innovation. To address this important challenge, tremendous research efforts have been made to foster the evolution to Future Internet. Long-term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) have been proposed as the key promising network architectures for Future Internet and attract significant attentions in the network and telecom community. This research mainly focuses on the performance modelling and resource allocations of these three architectures. The major contributions are three-fold: 1) LTE-A has been proposed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as a promising candidate for the evolution of LTE wireless communication. One of the major features of LTE-A is the concept of Carrier Aggregation (CA). CA enables the network operators to exploit the fragmented spectrum and increase the peak transmission data rate, however, this technical innovation introduces serious unbalanced loads among in the radio resource allocation of LTE-A. To alleviate this problem, a novel QoS-aware resource allocation scheme, termed as Cross-CC User Migration (CUM) scheme, is proposed in this research to support real-time services, taking into consideration the system throughput, user fairness and QoS constraints. 2) SDN is an emerging technology towards next-generation Internet. In order to improve the performance of the SDN network, a preemption-based packet-scheduling scheme is firstly proposed in this research to improve the global fairness and reduce the packet loss rate in SDN data plane. Furthermore, in order to achieve a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the performance behaviour of SDN network, this work develops two analytical models to investigate the performance of SDN in the presence of Poisson Process and Markov Modulated Poisson Process (MMPP) respectively. 3) NFV is regarded as a disruptive technology for telecommunication service providers to reduce the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) through decoupling individual network functions from the underlying hardware devices. While NFV faces a significant challenging problem of Service-Level-Agreement (SLA) guarantee during service provisioning. In order to bridge this gap, a novel comprehensive analytical model based on stochastic network calculus is proposed in this research to investigate end-to-end performance of NFV network. The resource allocation strategies proposed in this study significantly improve the network performance in terms of packet loss probability, global allocation fairness and throughput per user in LTE-A and SDN networks; the analytical models designed in this study can accurately predict the network performances of SDN and NFV networks. Both theoretical analysis and simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and the accuracy of the designed models. In addition, the models are used as practical and cost-effective tools to pinpoint the performance bottlenecks of SDN and NFV networks under various network conditions

Adaptive Communications for Next Generation Broadband Wireless Access Systems

Un dels aspectes claus en el disseny i gestió de les xarxes sense fils d'accés de banda ampla és l'ús eficient dels recursos radio. Des del punt de vista de l'operador, l'ample de banda és un bé escàs i preuat que s´ha d'explotar i gestionar de la forma més eficient possible tot garantint la qualitat del servei que es vol proporcionar. Per altra banda, des del punt de vista del usuari, la qualitat del servei ofert ha de ser comparable al de les xarxes fixes, requerint així un baix retard i una baixa pèrdua de paquets per cadascun dels fluxos de dades entre la xarxa i l'usuari. Durant els darrers anys s´han desenvolupat nombroses tècniques i algoritmes amb l'objectiu d'incrementar l'eficiència espectral. Entre aquestes tècniques destaca l'ús de múltiples antenes al transmissor i al receptor amb l'objectiu de transmetre diferents fluxos de dades simultaneament sense necessitat d'augmentar l'ample de banda. Per altra banda, la optimizació conjunta de la capa d'accés al medi i la capa física (fent ús de l'estat del canal per tal de gestionar de manera optima els recursos) també permet incrementar sensiblement l'eficiència espectral del sistema.L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és l'estudi i desenvolupament de noves tècniques d'adaptació de l'enllaç i gestió dels recursos ràdio aplicades sobre sistemes d'accés ràdio de propera generació (Beyond 3G). Els estudis realitzats parteixen de la premissa que el transmisor coneix (parcialment) l'estat del canal i que la transmissió es realitza fent servir un esquema multiportadora amb múltiples antenes al transmisor i al receptor. En aquesta tesi es presenten dues línies d'investigació, la primera per casos d'una sola antenna a cada banda de l'enllaç, i la segona en cas de múltiples antenes. En el cas d'una sola antena al transmissor i al receptor, un nou esquema d'assignació de recursos ràdio i priorització dels paquets (scheduling) és proposat i analitzat integrant totes dues funcions sobre una mateixa entitat (cross-layer). L'esquema proposat té com a principal característica la seva baixa complexitat i que permet operar amb transmissions multimedia. Alhora, posteriors millores realitzades per l'autor sobre l'esquema proposat han permès també reduir els requeriments de senyalització i combinar de forma óptima usuaris d'alta i baixa mobilitat sobre el mateix accés ràdio, millorant encara més l'eficiència espectral del sistema. En cas d'enllaços amb múltiples antenes es proposa un nou esquema que combina la selecció del conjunt optim d'antenes transmissores amb la selecció de la codificació espai- (frequència-) temps. Finalment es donen una sèrie de recomanacions per tal de combinar totes dues línies d'investigació, així con un estat de l'art de les tècniques proposades per altres autors que combinen en part la gestió dels recursos ràdio i els esquemes de transmissió amb múltiples antenes.Uno de los aspectos claves en el diseño y gestión de las redes inalámbricas de banda ancha es el uso eficiente de los recursos radio. Desde el punto de vista del operador, el ancho de banda es un bien escaso y valioso que se debe explotar y gestionar de la forma más eficiente posible sin afectar a la calidad del servicio ofrecido. Por otro lado, desde el punto de vista del usuario, la calidad del servicio ha de ser comparable al ofrecido por las redes fijas, requiriendo así un bajo retardo y una baja tasa de perdida de paquetes para cada uno de los flujos de datos entre la red y el usuario. Durante los últimos años el número de técnicas y algoritmos que tratan de incrementar la eficiencia espectral en dichas redes es bastante amplio. Entre estas técnicas destaca el uso de múltiples antenas en el transmisor y en el receptor con el objetivo de poder transmitir simultáneamente diferentes flujos de datos sin necesidad de incrementar el ancho de banda. Por otro lado, la optimización conjunta de la capa de acceso al medio y la capa física (utilizando información de estado del canal para gestionar de manera óptima los recursos) también permite incrementar sensiblemente la eficiencia espectral del sistema.El objetivo de esta tesis es el estudio y desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de adaptación del enlace y la gestión de los recursos radio, y su posterior aplicación sobre los sistemas de acceso radio de próxima generación (Beyond 3G). Los estudios realizados parten de la premisa de que el transmisor conoce (parcialmente) el estado del canal a la vez que se considera que la transmisión se realiza sobre un sistema de transmisión multiportadora con múltiple antenas en el transmisor y el receptor. La tesis se centra sobre dos líneas de investigación, la primera para casos de una única antena en cada lado del enlace, y la segunda en caso de múltiples antenas en cada lado. Para el caso de una única antena en el transmisor y en el receptor, se ha desarrollado un nuevo esquema de asignación de los recursos radio así como de priorización de los paquetes de datos (scheduling) integrando ambas funciones sobre una misma entidad (cross-layer). El esquema propuesto tiene como principal característica su bajo coste computacional a la vez que se puede aplicar en caso de transmisiones multimedia. Posteriores mejoras realizadas por el autor sobre el esquema propuesto han permitido también reducir los requisitos de señalización así como combinar de forma óptima usuarios de alta y baja movilidad. Por otro lado, en caso de enlaces con múltiples antenas en transmisión y recepción, se presenta un nuevo esquema de adaptación en el cual se combina la selección de la(s) antena(s) transmisora(s) con la selección del esquema de codificación espacio-(frecuencia-) tiempo. Para finalizar, se dan una serie de recomendaciones con el objetivo de combinar ambas líneas de investigación, así como un estado del arte de las técnicas propuestas por otros autores que combinan en parte la gestión de los recursos radio y los esquemas de transmisión con múltiples antenas.In Broadband Wireless Access systems the efficient use of the resources is crucial from many points of views. From the operator point of view, the bandwidth is a scarce, valuable, and expensive resource which must be exploited in an efficient manner while the Quality of Service (QoS) provided to the users is guaranteed. On the other hand, a tight delay and link quality constraints are imposed on each data flow hence the user experiences the same quality as in fixed networks. During the last few years many techniques have been developed in order to increase the spectral efficiency and the throughput. Among them, the use of multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver (exploiting spatial multiplexing) with the joint optimization of the medium access control layer and the physical layer parameters.In this Ph.D. thesis, different adaptive techniques for B3G multicarrier wireless systems are developed and proposed focusing on the SS-MC-MA and the OFDM(A) (IEEE 802.16a/e/m standards) communication schemes. The research lines emphasize into the adaptation of the transmission having (Partial) knowledge of the Channel State Information for both; single antenna and multiple antenna links. For single antenna links, the implementation of a joint resource allocation and scheduling strategy by including adaptive modulation and coding is investigated. A low complexity resource allocation and scheduling algorithm is proposed with the objective to cope with real- and/or non-real- time requirements and constraints. A special attention is also devoted in reducing the required signalling. However, for multiple antenna links, the performance of a proposed adaptive transmit antenna selection scheme jointly with space-time block coding selection is investigated and compared with conventional structures. In this research line, mainly two optimizations criteria are proposed for spatial link adaptation, one based on the minimum error rate for fixed throughput, and the second focused on the maximisation of the rate for fixed error rate. Finally, some indications are given on how to include the spatial adaptation into the investigated and proposed resource allocation and scheduling process developed for single antenna transmission

A Novel Approach for Implementing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access for Video Surveillance

Video surveillance applications have experienced an increase in demand over the last decade. Surveillance systems can easily be found in places such as commercial offices, banks and traffic intersections, parks and recreational areas. Surveillance applications have the potential to be implemented on a WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network. Moreover, WiMAX devices have been used widely in the market and WiMAX-based video surveillance products have also been available. As a radio technology, WiMAX is a wireless broadband system that offers greater capacity than WiFi networks and wider coverage than cellular networks. The acceptance of WiMAX in the market, the availability of WiMAX products and its technology excellence, contribute to the possibility of implementing it for surveillance application. However, since WiMAX is designed to accommodate various applications with different quality of service (QoS) requirements, dedicated surveillance network implementation of WiMAX may not achieve optimum performance, as all Subscriber Stations (SSs) generate the same QoS requirements. In the medium access (MAC) layer, this thesis proposes a bandwidth allocation scheme that considers the QoS uniformity of the traffic sources. The proposed bandwidth allocation scheme comprises a simplified bandwidth allocation architecture, a packet-aware bandwidth request mechanism and packet-aware scheduling algorithms. The simplified architecture maximizes resources in the Base Station (BS), deactivates unnecessary services and minimizes the processing delay. The proposed bandwidth request mechanism reduces bandwidth grant and transmission delays. The proposed scheduling algorithms prioritize bandwidth granting access to a request that contains important packet(s). The proposed methods in the MAC layer are designed to be applied to existing devices in the market, without the necessity to change hardware. The transport protocol should be able to deliver video with sufficient quality while maintaining low delay connectivity. The proposed transport layer protocol is therefore designed to improve the existing user datagram protocol (UDP) performance by retransmitting packet loss selectively to increase the received video quality, and utilizing MAC support to achieve low delay connectivity. In order to overcome the limitations of the lower layers, this thesis employs a rateless code instead of transport layer redundancy in the application layer. Moreover, this thesis proposes post-decoding error concealment techniques as the last means to overcome packet loss. To evaluate the performances of the proposed methods, simulations are carried out using NS-2 simulator on Linux platform. The proposed methods are compared to existing works to measure their effectiveness. To facilitate the implementation of the transport layer protocols in practical scenarios, UDP packet modification is applied for each transport layer protocol.Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education (DGHE/DIKTI

Service oriented networking for multimedia applications in broadband wireless networks

Extensive efforts have been focused on deploying broadband wireless networks. Providing mobile users with high speed network connectivity will let them run various multimedia applications on their wireless devices. In order to successfully deploy and operate broadband wireless networks, it is crucial to design efficient methods for supporting various services and applications in broadband wireless networks. Moreover, the existing access-oriented networking solutions are not able to fully address all the issues of supporting various applications with different quality of service requirements. Thus, service-oriented networking has been recently proposed and has gained much attention. This dissertation discusses the challenges and possible solutions for supporting multimedia applications in broadband wireless networks. The service requirements of different multimedia applications such as video streaming and Voice over IP (VoIP) are studied and some novel service-oriented networking solutions for supporting these applications in broadband wireless networks are proposed. The performance of these solutions is examined in WiMAX networks which are the promising technology for broadband wireless access in the near future. WiMAX networks are based on the IEEE 802.16 standards which have defined different Quality of Service (QoS) classes to support a broad range of applications with varying service requirements to mobile and stationary users. The growth of multimedia traffic that requires special quality of service from the network will impose new constraints on network designers who should wisely allocate the limited resources to users based on their required quality of service. An efficient resource management and network design depends upon gaining accurate information about the traffic profile of user applications. In this dissertation, the access level traffic profile of VoIP applications are studied first, and then a realistic distribution model for VoIP traffic is proposed. Based on this model, an algorithm to allocate resources for VoIP applications in WiMAX networks is investigated. Later, the challenges and possible solutions for transmitting MPEG video streams in wireless networks are discussed. The MPEG traffic model adopted by the WiMAX Forum is introduced and different application-oriented solutions for enhancing the performance of wireless networks with respect to MPEG video streaming applications are explained. An analytical framework to verify the performance of the proposed solutions is discoursed, and it is shown that the proposed solutions will improve the efficiency of VoIP applications and the quality of streaming applications over wireless networks. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future works are discussed

Portfolio peak algorithms achieving superior performance for maximizing throughput in WiMAX networks

The Mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16 standards ensure provision of last mile wireless access, variable and high data rate, point to multi-point communication, large frequency range and QoS (Quality of Service) for various types of applications. The WiMAX standards are published by the Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and specify the standards of services and transmissions. However, the way how to run these services and when the transmission should be started are not specified in the IEEE standards and it is up to computer scientists to design scheduling algorithms that can best meet the standards. Finding the best way to implement the WiMAX standards through designing efficient scheduler algorithms is a very important component in wireless systems and the scheduling period presents the most common challenging issue in terms of throughput and time delay. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to design and develop an efficient scheduling algorithm to provide the QoS support for real-time and non-real-time services with the WiMAX Network. This was achieved by combining a portfolio of algorithms, which will control and update transmission with the required algorithm by the various portfolios for supporting QoS such as; the guarantee of a maximum throughput for real-time and non-real-time traffic. Two algorithms were designed in this process and will be discussed in this thesis: Fixed Portfolio Algorithms and Portfolio Peak Algorithm. In order to evaluate the proposed algorithms and test their efficiency for IEEE 802.16 networks, the authors simulated the algorithms in the NS2 simulator. Evaluation of the proposed Portfolio algorithms was carried out through comparing its performance with those of the conventional algorithms. On the other hand, the proposed Portfolio scheduling algorithm was evaluated by comparing its performance in terms of throughput, delay, and jitter. The simulation results suggest that the Fixed Portfolio Algorithms and the Portfolio Peak Algorithm achieve higher performance in terms of throughput than all other algorithms. Keywords: WiMAX, IEEE802.16, QoS, Scheduling Algorithms, Fixed Portfolio Algorithms, and Portfolio Peak Algorithms.The Mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16 standards ensure provision of last mile wireless access, variable and high data rate, point to multi-point communication, large frequency range and QoS (Quality of Service) for various types of applications. The WiMAX standards are published by the Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and specify the standards of services and transmissions. However, the way how to run these services and when the transmission should be started are not specified in the IEEE standards and it is up to computer scientists to design scheduling algorithms that can best meet the standards. Finding the best way to implement the WiMAX standards through designing efficient scheduler algorithms is a very important component in wireless systems and the scheduling period presents the most common challenging issue in terms of throughput and time delay. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to design and develop an efficient scheduling algorithm to provide the QoS support for real-time and non-real-time services with the WiMAX Network. This was achieved by combining a portfolio of algorithms, which will control and update transmission with the required algorithm by the various portfolios for supporting QoS such as; the guarantee of a maximum throughput for real-time and non-real-time traffic. Two algorithms were designed in this process and will be discussed in this thesis: Fixed Portfolio Algorithms and Portfolio Peak Algorithm. In order to evaluate the proposed algorithms and test their efficiency for IEEE 802.16 networks, the authors simulated the algorithms in the NS2 simulator. Evaluation of the proposed Portfolio algorithms was carried out through comparing its performance with those of the conventional algorithms. On the other hand, the proposed Portfolio scheduling algorithm was evaluated by comparing its performance in terms of throughput, delay, and jitter. The simulation results suggest that the Fixed Portfolio Algorithms and the Portfolio Peak Algorithm achieve higher performance in terms of throughput than all other algorithms. Keywords: WiMAX, IEEE802.16, QoS, Scheduling Algorithms, Fixed Portfolio Algorithms, and Portfolio Peak Algorithms

Allocation des ressources et des solutions pour économiser de l'énergie dans les réseaux optiques d'accès

In this thesis, general overview about PON systems is presented and existing PON mechanisms and classification are investigated. After, a novel dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm for EPON is introduced. This proposed algorithm is named as “Half Cycling Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation-hcDBA” by the inspiration of its half cycling processing mode. Later, an improvement of hcDBA algorithm with early prediction mechanism is presented. As a result statement of the study, hcDBA algorithm performs better than existing mechanism in terms of packet loss ratio and access delays. Beside, simulation traffic behavior of EPON’s upstream channel has been investigated in order to support the decision of selecting suitable traffic generator in further studies. Energy conversation is one of the hot topics in telecommunication networks. Access networks constitute remarkable portion of the total energy consumption in telecommunication networks. ITU-T and IEEE organizations published recommendation for energy conversation in PONs. While, total energy consumption of ONUs is more than other equipment in fix access network the standards and most of the researches focused on saving energy at ONU side. In this thesis I focused on an energy efficiency method based on energy conversation on OLT side. The proposed method save energy by dynamically moving OLT cards to deep sleep mode according to the incoming and outgoing traffic loadsDans ce travail de thèse, un aperçu général sur les systèmes PON est présenté et sont étudiés les mécanismes et classification PON existants. Après, nous introduisons notre première contribution qui est un algorithme d'allocation dynamique de bande passante pour EPON. Cet algorithme proposé est désigné comme «hcDBA». Par la suite, une amélioration de l'algorithme de hcDBA avec mécanisme de prédiction précoce est présentée. Notre simulation montre bien que notre algorithme hcDBA est performant comparé aux mécanismes existants en termes de taux de perte de paquets et de délai d’accès. Dans notre seconde contribution, nous sommes intéressés au problème de consommation d’énergie qui est un sujet d’actualité dans les réseaux de télécommunication. Les études montrent aujourd’hui que les réseaux d'accès constituent une partie remarquable de la consommation totale d'énergie dans les réseaux de télécommunication. Les organisations ITU-T et IEEE ont publié la recommandation pour la conversation de l'énergie pour les réseaux PONs. Bien que, la consommation totale d'énergie des nœuds ONU est plus importantes que d'autres équipements dans le réseau d'accès fixe, les normes et la plupart des travaux de recherches ont porté sur les économies d'énergie du côté de ONU. Dans cette thèse, nous sommes concentrés sur une méthode d'efficacité énergétique basée sur la conservation de l'énergie du côté de l’OLT. La méthode proposée permet d’économiser de l'énergie en déplaçant dynamiquement des cartes d’OLT en mode de sommeil profond en fonction des charges de trafic entrant et sortan

Techniques for End-to-End Tcp Performance Enhancement Over Wireless Networks

Today’s wireless network complexity and the new applications from various user devices call for an in-depth understanding of the mutual performance impact of networks and applications. It includes understanding of the application traffic and network layer protocols to enable end-to-end application performance enhancements over wireless networks. Although Transport Control Protocol (TCP) behavior over wireless networks is well known, it remains as one of the main drivers which may significantly impact the user experience through application performance as well as the network resource utilization, since more than 90% of the internet traffic uses TCP in both wireless and wire-line networks. In this dissertation, we employ application traffic measurement and packet analysis over a commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) network combined with an in-depth LTE protocol simulation to identify three critical problems that may negatively affect the application performance and wireless network resource utilization: (i) impact of the wireless MAC protocol on the TCP throughput performance, (ii) impact of applications on network resource utilization, and (iii) impact of TCP on throughput performance over wireless networks. We further propose four novel mechanisms to improve the end-to-end application and wireless system performance: (i) an enhanced LTE uplink resource allocation mechanism to reduce network delay and help prevent a TCP timeout, (ii) a new TCP snooping mechanism, which according to our experiments, can save about 20% of system resources by preventing unnecessary video packet transmission through the air interface, and (iii) two Split-TCP protocols: an Enhanced Split-TCP (ES-TCP) and an Advanced Split-TCP (AS-TCP), which significantly improve the application throughput without breaking the end-to-end TCP semantics. Experimental results show that the proposed ES-TCP and AS-TCP protocols can boost the TCP throughput by more than 60% in average, when exercised over a 4G LTE network. Furthermore, the TCP throughput performance improvement may be even superior to 200%, depending on network and usage conditions. We expect that these proposed Split-TCP protocol enhancements, together with the new uplink resource allocation enhancement and the new TCP snooping mechanism may provide even greater performance gains when more advanced radio technologies, such as 5G, are deployed. Thanks to their superior resource utilization efficiency, such advanced radio technologies will put to greater use the techniques and protocol enhancements disclosed through this dissertation

Performance Modeling and Analysis of Wireless Local Area Networks with Bursty Traffic

The explosive increase in the use of mobile digital devices has posed great challenges in the design and implementation of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Ever-increasing demands for high-speed and ubiquitous digital communication have made WLANs an essential feature of everyday life. With audio and video forming the highest percentage of traffic generated by multimedia applications, a huge demand is placed for high speed WLANs that provide high Quality-of-Service (QoS) and can satisfy end user’s needs at a relatively low cost. Providing video and audio contents to end users at a satisfactory level with various channel quality and current battery capacities requires thorough studies on the properties of such traffic. In this regard, Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol of the 802.11 standard plays a vital role in the management and coordination of shared channel access and data transmission. Therefore, this research focuses on developing new efficient analytical models that evaluate the performance of WLANs and the MAC protocol in the presence of bursty, correlated and heterogeneous multimedia traffic using Batch Markovian Arrival Process (BMAP). BMAP can model the correlation between different packet size distributions and traffic rates while accurately modelling aggregated traffic which often possesses negative statistical properties. The research starts with developing an accurate traffic generator using BMAP to capture the existing correlations in multimedia traffics. For validation, the developed traffic generator is used as an arrival process to a queueing model and is analyzed based on average queue length and mean waiting time. The performance of BMAP/M/1 queue is studied under various number of states and maximum batch sizes of BMAP. The results clearly indicate that any increase in the number of states of the underlying Markov Chain of BMAP or maximum batch size, lead to higher burstiness and correlation of the arrival process, prompting the speed of the queue towards saturation. The developed traffic generator is then used to model traffic sources in IEEE 802.11 WLANs, measuring important QoS metrics of throughput, end-to-end delay, frame loss probability and energy consumption. Performance comparisons are conducted on WLANs under the influence of multimedia traffics modelled as BMAP, Markov Modulated Poisson Process and Poisson Process. The results clearly indicate that bursty traffics generated by BMAP demote network performance faster than other traffic sources under moderate to high loads. The model is also used to study WLANs with unsaturated, heterogeneous and bursty traffic sources. The effects of traffic load and network size on the performance of WLANs are investigated to demonstrate the importance of burstiness and heterogeneity of traffic on accurate evaluation of MAC protocol in wireless multimedia networks. The results of the thesis highlight the importance of taking into account the true characteristics of multimedia traffics for accurate evaluation of the MAC protocol in the design and analysis of wireless multimedia networks and technologies