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

A pricing proposal for a QoS enabled UMTS network

ArticleThird generation networks e.g. the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) provide higher data transfer rates which enables the transport of real-time multimedia traffic e.g. streaming video. The cost of Internet access over mobile networks remains high yet user demand for mobile services is increasing rapidly. In order for mobile computing to become viable, the deployment of charging schemes that would see the cost of communication reflect the utilization of resources on the network is necessary. A dynamic charging scheme is an attractive solution. When prices change, users need to indicate their willingness to continue using the service especially when a price increase is beyond the level they anticipated. In this paper we propose a charging scheme that relies on the congestion at the RNC of the UMTS to calculate pricing coefficients, which are in turn used in determining the charge incurred for using the network. The use of user profiles and network agents in the management of the charging scheme is also explored.Third generation networks e.g. the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) provide higher data transfer rates which enables the transport of real-time multimedia traffic e.g. streaming video. The cost of Internet access over mobile networks remains high yet user demand for mobile services is increasing rapidly. In order for mobile computing to become viable, the deployment of charging schemes that would see the cost of communication reflect the utilization of resources on the network is necessary. A dynamic charging scheme is an attractive solution. When prices change, users need to indicate their willingness to continue using the service especially when a price increase is beyond the level they anticipated. In this paper we propose a charging scheme that relies on the congestion at the RNC of the UMTS to calculate pricing coefficients, which are in turn used in determining the charge incurred for using the network. The use of user profiles and network agents in the management of the charging scheme is also explored

Network Neutrality and the Evolution of the Internet

In order to create incentives for Internet traffic providers not to discriminate with respect to certain applications on the basis of network capacity requirements, the concept of market driven network neutrality is introduced. Its basic characteristics are that all applications are bearing the opportunity costs of the required traffic capacities. An economic framework for market driven network neutrality in broadband Internet is provided, consisting of congestion pricing and quality of service differentiation. However, network neutrality regulation with its reference point of the traditional TCP would result in regulatory micromanagement of traffic network management. --Broadband Internet,network neutrality,quality of service differentiation,congestion pricing,interclass externality pricing,interconnection agreements

Performance enhancement of large scale networks with heterogeneous traffic.

Finally, these findings are applied towards improving the performance of the Differentiated Services architecture by developing a new Refined Assured Forwarding framework where heterogeneous traffic flows share the same aggregate class. The new framework requires minimal modification to the existing Diffserv routers. The efficiency of the new architecture in enhancing the performance of Diffserv is demonstrated by simulation results under different traffic scenarios.This dissertation builds on the notion that segregating traffic with disparate characteristics into separate channels generally results in a better performance. Through a quantitative analysis, it precisely defines the number of classes and the allocation of traffic into these classes that will lead to optimal performance from a latency standpoint. Additionally, it weakens the most generally used assumption of exponential or geometric distribution of traffic service time in the integration versus segregation studies to date by including self-similarity in network traffic.The dissertation also develops a pricing model based on resource usage in a system with segregated channels. Based on analytical results, this dissertation proposes a scheme whereby a service provider can develop compensatory and fair prices for customers with varying QoS requirements under a wide variety of ambient traffic scenarios.This dissertation provides novel techniques for improving the Quality of Service by enhancing the performance of queue management in large scale packet switched networks with a high volume of traffic. Networks combine traffic from multiple sources which have disparate characteristics. Multiplexing such heterogeneous traffic usually results in adverse effects on the overall performance of the network

Network neutrality and the evolution of the internet

In order to create incentives for Internet traffic providers not to discriminate with respect to certain applications on the basis of network capacity require-ments, the concept of market driven network neutrality is introduced. Its basic characteristics are that all applications are bearing the opportunity costs of the required traffic capacities. An economic framework for market driven network neutrality in broadband Internet is provided, consisting of congestion pricing and quality of service differentiation. However, network neutrality regulation with its reference point of the traditional TCP would result in regulatory micro-management of traffic network management. --

The MobyDick Project: A Mobile Heterogeneous All-IP Architecture

Proceedings of Advanced Technologies, Applications and Market Strategies for 3G (ATAMS 2001). Cracow, Poland: 17-20 June, 2001.This paper presents the current stage of an IP-based architecture for heterogeneous environments, covering UMTS-like W-CDMA wireless access technology, wireless and wired LANs, that is being developed under the aegis of the IST Moby Dick project. This architecture treats all transmission capabilities as basic physical and data-link layers, and attempts to replace all higher-level tasks by IP-based strategies. The proposed architecture incorporates aspects of mobile-IPv6, fast handover, AAA-control, and Quality of Service. The architecture allows for an optimised control on the radio link layer resources. The Moby dick architecture is currently under refinement for implementation on field trials. The services planned for trials are data transfer and voice-over-IP.Publicad

Methods of Congestion Control for Adaptive Continuous Media

Since the first exchange of data between machines in different locations in early 1960s, computer networks have grown exponentially with millions of people now using the Internet. With this, there has also been a rapid increase in different kinds of services offered over the World Wide Web from simple e-mails to streaming video. It is generally accepted that the commonly used protocol suite TCP/IP alone is not adequate for a number of modern applications with high bandwidth and minimal delay requirements. Many technologies are emerging such as IPv6, Diffserv, Intserv etc, which aim to replace the onesize-fits-all approach of the current lPv4. There is a consensus that the networks will have to be capable of multi-service and will have to isolate different classes of traffic through bandwidth partitioning such that, for example, low priority best-effort traffic does not cause delay for high priority video traffic. However, this research identifies that even within a class there may be delays or losses due to congestion and the problem will require different solutions in different classes. The focus of this research is on the requirements of the adaptive continuous media class. These are traffic flows that require a good Quality of Service but are also able to adapt to the network conditions by accepting some degradation in quality. It is potentially the most flexible traffic class and therefore, one of the most useful types for an increasing number of applications. This thesis discusses the QoS requirements of adaptive continuous media and identifies an ideal feedback based control system that would be suitable for this class. A number of current methods of congestion control have been investigated and two methods that have been shown to be successful with data traffic have been evaluated to ascertain if they could be adapted for adaptive continuous media. A novel method of control based on percentile monitoring of the queue occupancy is then proposed and developed. Simulation results demonstrate that the percentile monitoring based method is more appropriate to this type of flow. The problem of congestion control at aggregating nodes of the network hierarchy, where thousands of adaptive flows may be aggregated to a single flow, is then considered. A unique method of pricing mean and variance is developed such that each individual flow is charged fairly for its contribution to the congestion

Internet QoS market Analysis with peering and usage-sensitive pricing: A game theoretic and simulation approach

One of the major areas for research and investment related to the Internet is the provision of quality of service (QoS). We remain confident that in the not-to-distance future, QoS will be introduced not only in private networks but in the whole Internet. QoS will bring some new features into the Internet market: (1) vertical product differentiation with BE and QoS, (2) usage-sensitive pricing with metering. In this dissertation, the equilibrium outcomes are analyzed when two rural Internet Access Providers (IAPs) interact with several business and technical strategies such as technology (BE or QoS), pricing scheme (flat-rate pricing or two-part tariff), interconnection (transit or peering) and investment in network capacity. To determine the equilibria, we construct a duopoly game model based on Cournot theory. We calibrate this model to data found in real markets. In this model, we study ten cases with a combination of strategic choices of two IAPs. We use two demand functions: one based on uniform distribution and the other based on empirical distribution which comes from the U.S. General Accounting Office (U.S. GAO) survey for Internet usage. We use a two-stage RNG (Random Number Generator) simulation and a linear regression for the latter. If we consider IAPs with the BE and the flat rate pricing as the current Internet, the equilibrium points of each case in this model suggest a progressive market equilibrium path to the future Internet market. Based on the equilibrium analysis of the game model, we conclude that (1) {QoS, two-part tariff, transit/peering} or {QoS, flat-rate pricing, peering} will be a plausible situation in the future Internet access market, (2) network capacity will still be an important strategy to determine market equilibrium in the future as well as in the current, (3) BE will take a considerable market share in the QoS Internet, and (4) peering arrangements in the QoS Internet will provide a higher social welfare than transit. These implications from the game analysis present an analytical framework for the future Internet policy