2,253 research outputs found
Optimized IP-CANs to support best charged IMS scenarios
conference paper Published in Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications, 2009 IEEE 20th International Symposium by IEEE.The pricing and charging mechanisms used in Next
Generation Network (NGN) deployments will influence the profitability
of network operators. NGNs present an opportunity for
the success of service delivery platforms designed for IP multimedia
communications, like the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
Moreover, they present a platform for the delivery of a multitude
of applications and services to users with different expectations
and budgets. Although usage-based charging schemes are more
meaningful, some recent successful Internet-based applications
and services have attracted widespread usage due to enforcement
of flat-rate pricing. The choice of a pricing scheme often has
a one-to-one relation to the access network technology and the
quality of service guarantee. Flat-rate pricing may easily be
associated with best effort transport. This implies that some
users opt for services without QoS guarantee when favoured by
the pricing methodology. This paper explores scenarios where
services with different QoS requirements available to users with
varying pricing preferences can be provided over a set of IP
connection access networks (IP-CANs) of the IMS.We explore the
use of different pricing schemes for different IP-CANs of the IMS.
We perform testbed evaluations and present results depicting
the income patterns of networks enforcing different pricing and
charging schemes for VoIP and IPTV services. Moreover, we emphasize
the use of simplified pricing schemes on communication
networks.The pricing and charging mechanisms used in Next
Generation Network (NGN) deployments will influence the profitability
of network operators. NGNs present an opportunity for
the success of service delivery platforms designed for IP multimedia
communications, like the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
Moreover, they present a platform for the delivery of a multitude
of applications and services to users with different expectations
and budgets. Although usage-based charging schemes are more
meaningful, some recent successful Internet-based applications
and services have attracted widespread usage due to enforcement
of flat-rate pricing. The choice of a pricing scheme often has
a one-to-one relation to the access network technology and the
quality of service guarantee. Flat-rate pricing may easily be
associated with best effort transport. This implies that some
users opt for services without QoS guarantee when favoured by
the pricing methodology. This paper explores scenarios where
services with different QoS requirements available to users with
varying pricing preferences can be provided over a set of IP
connection access networks (IP-CANs) of the IMS.We explore the
use of different pricing schemes for different IP-CANs of the IMS.
We perform testbed evaluations and present results depicting
the income patterns of networks enforcing different pricing and
charging schemes for VoIP and IPTV services. Moreover, we emphasize
the use of simplified pricing schemes on communication
networks
Unsplittable Load Balancing in a Network of Charging Stations Under QoS Guarantees
The operation of the power grid is becoming more stressed, due to the
addition of new large loads represented by Electric Vehicles (EVs) and a more
intermittent supply due to the incorporation of renewable sources. As a
consequence, the coordination and control of projected EV demand in a network
of fast charging stations becomes a critical and challenging problem.
In this paper, we introduce a game theoretic based decentralized control
mechanism to alleviate negative impacts from the EV demand. The proposed
mechanism takes into consideration the non-uniform spatial distribution of EVs
that induces uneven power demand at each charging facility, and aims to: (i)
avoid straining grid resources by offering price incentives so that customers
accept being routed to less busy stations, (ii) maximize total revenue by
serving more customers with the same amount of grid resources, and (iii)
provide charging service to customers with a certain level of
Quality-of-Service (QoS), the latter defined as the long term customer blocking
probability. We examine three scenarios of increased complexity that gradually
approximate real world settings. The obtained results show that the proposed
framework leads to substantial performance improvements in terms of the
aforementioned goals, when compared to current state of affairs.Comment: Accepted for Publication in IEEE Transactions on Smart Gri
Dynamic pricing for 3G networks using admission control and traffic differentiation
Published in Networks, 2005. Jointly held with the 2005 IEEE 7th Malaysia International Conference on Communication., 2005 13th IEEE International Conference on (Volume:2 )In the pricing of network resources, network operators
and service providers aim at facilitating the use of the
limited network resources in a manner that would encourage
responsibility among the end-users and lead to the maximisation
of profits. The optimum tariff rates used for charging the mobile
services are affected by factors like the market forces affecting
the industry. However, the tariff rates generally increase with the
achieved QoS level. Next generation networks will offer higher
QoS, hence users need incentives to utilise the enhanced capacity.
In this paper, we propose a pricing approach that introduces
service profiles into a DiffServ-enabled network, whose prices and
QoS levels depend on the degree of congestion in the network.
The use of the UMTS connection admission control to support
the proposed pricing scheme is explored. An emulation testbed is
used to evaluate the scheme.In the pricing of network resources, network operators
and service providers aim at facilitating the use of the
limited network resources in a manner that would encourage
responsibility among the end-users and lead to the maximisation
of profits. The optimum tariff rates used for charging the mobile
services are affected by factors like the market forces affecting
the industry. However, the tariff rates generally increase with the
achieved QoS level. Next generation networks will offer higher
QoS, hence users need incentives to utilise the enhanced capacity.
In this paper, we propose a pricing approach that introduces
service profiles into a DiffServ-enabled network, whose prices and
QoS levels depend on the degree of congestion in the network.
The use of the UMTS connection admission control to support
the proposed pricing scheme is explored. An emulation testbed is
used to evaluate the scheme
On the Economics of Cloud Markets
Cloud computing is a paradigm that has the potential to transform and
revolutionalize the next generation IT industry by making software available to
end-users as a service. A cloud, also commonly known as a cloud network,
typically comprises of hardware (network of servers) and a collection of
softwares that is made available to end-users in a pay-as-you-go manner.
Multiple public cloud providers (ex., Amazon) co-existing in a cloud computing
market provide similar services (software as a service) to its clients, both in
terms of the nature of an application, as well as in quality of service (QoS)
provision. The decision of whether a cloud hosts (or finds it profitable to
host) a service in the long-term would depend jointly on the price it sets, the
QoS guarantees it provides to its customers, and the satisfaction of the
advertised guarantees. In this paper, we devise and analyze three
inter-organizational economic models relevant to cloud networks. We formulate
our problems as non co-operative price and QoS games between multiple cloud
providers existing in a cloud market. We prove that a unique pure strategy Nash
equilibrium (NE) exists in two of the three models. Our analysis paves the path
for each cloud provider to 1) know what prices and QoS level to set for
end-users of a given service type, such that the provider could exist in the
cloud market, and 2) practically and dynamically provision appropriate capacity
for satisfying advertised QoS guarantees.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Network Non-neutrality Debate: An Economic Analysis
This paper studies the economic utilities and the quality of service (QoS) in
a two-sided non-neutral market where Internet service providers (ISPs) charge
content providers (CPs) for the content delivery. We propose new models on a
two-sided market which involves a CP, an ISP, end users and advertisers. The CP
may have either the subscription revenue model (charging end users) or the
advertisement revenue model (charging advertisers). We formulate the
interactions between the ISP and the CP as a noncooperative game problem for
the former and an optimization problem for the latter. Our analysis shows that
the revenue model of the CP plays a significant role in a non-neutral Internet.
With the subscription model, both the ISP and the CP receive better (or worse)
utilities as well as QoS in the presence of side payment at the same time.
However, with the advertisement model, the side payment impedes the CP from
investing on its contents.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure
Alleviating a form of electric vehicle range anxiety through On-Demand vehicle access
On-demand vehicle access is a method that can be used to reduce types of
range anxiety problems related to planned travel for electric vehicle owners.
Using ideas from elementary queueing theory, basic QoS metrics are defined to
dimension a shared fleet to ensure high levels of vehicle access. Using
mobility data from Ireland, it is argued that the potential cost of such a
system is very low
Electric Power Allocation in a Network of Fast Charging Stations
In order to increase the penetration of electric vehicles, a network of fast
charging stations that can provide drivers with a certain level of quality of
service (QoS) is needed. However, given the strain that such a network can
exert on the power grid, and the mobility of loads represented by electric
vehicles, operating it efficiently is a challenging problem. In this paper, we
examine a network of charging stations equipped with an energy storage device
and propose a scheme that allocates power to them from the grid, as well as
routes customers. We examine three scenarios, gradually increasing their
complexity. In the first one, all stations have identical charging capabilities
and energy storage devices, draw constant power from the grid and no routing
decisions of customers are considered. It represents the current state of
affairs and serves as a baseline for evaluating the performance of the proposed
scheme. In the second scenario, power to the stations is allocated in an
optimal manner from the grid and in addition a certain percentage of customers
can be routed to nearby stations. In the final scenario, optimal allocation of
both power from the grid and customers to stations is considered. The three
scenarios are evaluated using real traffic traces corresponding to weekday rush
hour from a large metropolitan area in the US. The results indicate that the
proposed scheme offers substantial improvements of performance compared to the
current mode of operation; namely, more customers can be served with the same
amount of power, thus enabling the station operators to increase their
profitability. Further, the scheme provides guarantees to customers in terms of
the probability of being blocked by the closest charging station. Overall, the
paper addresses key issues related to the efficient operation of a network of
charging stations.Comment: Published in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications July
201
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