Stable Wireless Network Control Under Service Constraints

We consider the design of wireless queueing network control policies with particular focus on combining stability with additional application-dependent requirements. Thereby, we consequently pursue a cost function based approach that provides the flexibility to incorporate constraints and requirements of particular services or applications. As typical examples of such requirements, we consider the reduction of buffer underflows in case of streaming traffic, and energy efficiency in networks of battery powered nodes. Compared to the classical throughput optimal control problem, such requirements significantly complicate the control problem. We provide easily verifyable theoretical conditions for stability, and, additionally, compare various candidate cost functions applied to wireless networks with streaming media traffic. Moreover, we demonstrate how the framework can be applied to the problem of energy efficient routing, and we demonstrate the aplication of our framework in cross-layer control problems for wireless multihop networks, using an advanced power control scheme for interference mitigation, based on successive convex approximation. In all scenarios, the performance of our control framework is evaluated using extensive numerical simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1208.297

Design and Implementation of a Measurement-Based Policy-Driven Resource Management Framework For Converged Networks

This paper presents the design and implementation of a measurement-based QoS and resource management framework, CNQF (Converged Networks QoS Management Framework). CNQF is designed to provide unified, scalable QoS control and resource management through the use of a policy-based network management paradigm. It achieves this via distributed functional entities that are deployed to co-ordinate the resources of the transport network through centralized policy-driven decisions supported by measurement-based control architecture. We present the CNQF architecture, implementation of the prototype and validation of various inbuilt QoS control mechanisms using real traffic flows on a Linux-based experimental test bed.Comment: in Ictact Journal On Communication Technology: Special Issue On Next Generation Wireless Networks And Applications, June 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2, Issn: 2229-6948(Online

EU competition law and sector-specific regulation in the converging communications industry

Part I traces the evolution of EU telecommunications policy (from 1987 to 1998) and presents an overview of and commentary on the main provisions of the current EU telecommunications regulatory framework. It discusses the principal policy documents which set the tone for the transition from a monopoly to a fully liberalised market and focuses on both liberalisation and harmonisation legislative measures in the EU.Part II concentrates on specific abusive behaviour of the incumbents aimed at preserving their key bottleneck positions against newcomers, and examines how competition law can deal with such cases. In particular, it discusses the jurisprudence of the ECJ involving cases of refusal to supply and the European Commission's essential facilities cases, and attempts to define to what extent Article 82 (ex 86) of the Treaty is applicable to the control of bottlenecks. Furthermore, it analyses EU competition policy on the strategic alliances and mergers arising from the accelerating convergence of the telecommunications, media and information technology sectorsPart III examines how the current EU telecommunications regulatory regime should be adapted to the emerging multimedia environment. It concludes that, at least during the transition phase towards the realisation of an effectively competitive market, specific regulation will play a fundamental role alongside competition law. It also assesses the scope and nature of the new regulatory regime in the converging environment and submits that a light-touch and predictable regulatory framework - based on the new commercial realities rather than on arbitrary and obsolete regulatory distinctions - is required. This means that a large majority of the prescriptive regulations currently in place will need to be replaced by a harmonised framework of general principles and overall targets which can identify and monitor barriers to competition within a converging market and can ensure equal and fair conditions for market players.Part IV comments on the proposed Framework, Access, and Licensing Directives. It attempts to assess whether the forthcoming regulation for electronic communications networks and associated services is in line with the main policy objectives and those regulatory principles that underpin the existing regulatory framework and whose significance has been affirmed in responses to consultation: legal certainty, flexibility, continuity, and transparency

Spectrum Trading: An Abstracted Bibliography

This document contains a bibliographic list of major papers on spectrum trading and their abstracts. The aim of the list is to offer researchers entering this field a fast panorama of the current literature. The list is continually updated on the webpage \url{http://www.disp.uniroma2.it/users/naldi/Ricspt.html}. Omissions and papers suggested for inclusion may be pointed out to the authors through e-mail (\textit{[email protected]})

Markov Decision Processes with Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of autonomous and resource-limited devices. The devices cooperate to monitor one or more physical phenomena within an area of interest. WSNs operate as stochastic systems because of randomness in the monitored environments. For long service time and low maintenance cost, WSNs require adaptive and robust methods to address data exchange, topology formulation, resource and power optimization, sensing coverage and object detection, and security challenges. In these problems, sensor nodes are to make optimized decisions from a set of accessible strategies to achieve design goals. This survey reviews numerous applications of the Markov decision process (MDP) framework, a powerful decision-making tool to develop adaptive algorithms and protocols for WSNs. Furthermore, various solution methods are discussed and compared to serve as a guide for using MDPs in WSNs