Auction-based Bandwidth Allocation Mechanisms for Wireless Future Internet

An important aspect of the Future Internet is the efficient utilization of (wireless) network resources. In order for the - demanding in terms of QoS - Future Internet services to be provided, the current trend is evolving towards an "integrated" wireless network access model that enables users to enjoy mobility, seamless access and high quality of service in an all-IP network on an "Anytime, Anywhere" basis. The term "integrated" is used to denote that the Future Internet wireless "last mile" is expected to comprise multiple heterogeneous geographically coexisting wireless networks, each having different capacity and coverage radius. The efficient management of the wireless access network resources is crucial due to their scarcity that renders wireless access a potential bottleneck for the provision of high quality services. In this paper we propose an auction mechanism for allocating the bandwidth of such a network so that efficiency is attained, i.e. social welfare is maximized. In particular, we propose an incentive-compatible, efficient auction-based mechanism of low computational complexity. We define a repeated game to address user utilities and incentives issues. Subsequently, we extend this mechanism so that it can also accommodate multicast sessions. We also analyze the computational complexity and message overhead of the proposed mechanism. We then show how user bids can be replaced from weights generated by the network and transform the auction to a cooperative mechanism capable of prioritizing certain classes of services and emulating DiffServ and time-of-day pricing schemes. The theoretical analysis is complemented by simulations that assess the proposed mechanisms properties and performance. We finally provide some concluding remarks and directions for future research

Addressing the Next Wave of Internet Regulation: The Case For Equal Opportunity

In October 2009, the Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in which it asked for guidance on how to convert a principle of “nondiscrimination on the Internet” into a practical rule for broadband service providers. The ultimate formulation of the nondiscrimination principle could have a significant economic effect on economic welfare in the short term and on innovation. In this paper, we explain the economics of discrimination and offer a new approach for identifying anticompetitive discrimination. Discrimination raises concerns when it interferes with what is often referred to as “equality of opportunity.” However, the Commission’s proposed nondiscrimination policy, which would limit the ability of service providers and content providers to contract on terms that (1) are mutually agreeable to both parties, (2) are available to all prospective consumers, and (3) do not impose significantly externalities on third parties, is inimical to promoting equality of opportunity. Moreover, given the twosided nature of the Internet access market, a blanket rule forbidding broadband service providers from offering quality of service to content providers (and charging for it) would likely harm endusers and certain content providers.

Disentangling economic and political goals in the net neutrality debate

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Intelligent multimedia communication for enhanced medical e-collaboration in back pain treatment

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2004 SAGE PublicationsRemote, multimedia-based, collaboration in back pain treatment is an option which only recently has come to the attention of clinicians and IT providers. The take-up of such applications will inevitably depend on their ability to produce an acceptable level of service over congested and unreliable public networks. However, although the problem of multimedia application-level performance is closely linked to both the user perspective of the experience as well as to the service provided by the underlying network, it is rarely studied from an integrated viewpoint. To alleviate this problem, we propose an intelligent mechanism that integrates user-related requirements with the more technical characterization of quality of service, obtaining a priority order of low-level quality of service parameters, which would ensure that user-centred quality of perception is maintained at an optimum level. We show how our framework is capable of suggesting appropriately tailored transmission protocols, by incorporating user requirements in the remote delivery of e-health solutions

User preference for fixed vs. mobile internet regarding quality of service: Its implications on mobile network neutrality

The rapid development of information and communication technology has facilitated Internet use considerably, particularly with regard to the speed of packet transfer at access segments. With the boom in bit-intensive and live-streaming content in the broadband Internet ecosystem, the phenomenon of increasing and persisting congestion on the Internet is no longer a mere engineering possibility but a grave and imminent reality. To deal with this problem, network neutrality has become the focus of discussion among operators, academics, and telecom regulators in recent years. Over the past several months, one of the most contentious issues in the US discussion of network neutrality has been whether both mobile and fixed Internet access should comply with similar network neutrality standards. Unfortunately, thus far, policy has been developed and academic debates have taken place without an understanding of the extent to which fixed and mobile Internet services are, from the user's perspective, close substitutes. Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether it is beneficial to treat these services similarly. Using a Web-based questionnaire, this paper shows empirically that users' communication quality preferences for fixed broadband differ significantly from their preferences for its mobile counterpart, suggesting that different treatments should be proposed for each broadband medium in order to attain optimal resource allocation. --

Network neutrality: Hong Kong's perspectives

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