FAST: A channel access protocol for wireless video (and non-video) traffic

This paper presents the design of a new paradigm for a content-aware wireless MAC layer that is optimized for wireless video (first and foremost) while targeting fairness and stability among competing video traffic, and among video and non-video traffic. Hence, we refer to the proposed MAC framework as the FAST (Fair And STable) protocol. FAST employs two parameters for each packet, a quality value and a time-to-live value. Based on these parameters, FAST is designed on a multiclass priority queuing system that classifies the incoming traffic according to the content of each traffic flow and further identifies different priorities within each video content. We develop analytical frameworks to formulate channel allocation based on video/non-video fairness and video stability requirements as a joint bandwidth maximization and scheduling optimization problem. We incorporate these frameworks to design and simulate a content-aware channel access mechanism, which utilizes video traffic content classifications and users demand in conjunction with stability and fairness requirements at the MAC layer to allocate wireless channels to individual wireless users. Our simulation results show that FAST provides significant improvements in packet-loss-ratio, delay, overall fairness, and stability parameters when compared with leading access control mechanisms over 4G/LTE environment.