Analysis of end-to-end QoS for networked virtual reality services in UMTS

Virtual reality services may be considered a good representative of advanced services in the new-generation network. The focus of this article is to address quality of service support for VR services in the context of the UMTS QoS framework specified by the 3G standardization forum, the Third Generation Partnership Project. We propose a classification of VR services based on delivery requirements (real-time or non-real-time) and degree of interactivity that maps to existing UMTS QoS classes and service attributes. The mapping is based on matching VR service requirements to performance parameters and target values defined for UMTS applications. Test cases involving heterogeneous VR applications are defined, using as a reference a general model for VR service design and delivery. Measurements of network parameters serve to determine the end-to-end QoS requirements of the considered applications, which are in turn mapped to proposed VR service classes.