Distributed QoS-Aware MAC for Multimedia over Cognitive Radio Networks

We propose a distributed quality of service (QoS)-aware MAC protocol for multi-channel cognitive radio networks supporting multimedia applications. Specifically, based on the channel usage patterns of primary users (PUs), secondary users (SUs) determine a set of channels for channel sensing and data transmissions to satisfy their QoS requirements. We further enhance the QoS provisioning of the proposed cognitive MAC by applying differentiated arbitrary sensing periods for various types of traffic. An analytical model is developed to study the performance of the proposed MAC, taking the activities of both PUs and SUs into consideration. Extensive simulations validate our analysis and demonstrate that our proposed MAC can achieve multiple levels of QoS provisioning for various types of multimedia applications in cognitive radio networks.