Modelling the Performance of TCP/ARQ over MIMO Rayleigh Fading Channels

In this paper we describe a general framework for the modelling of the TCP performance over MIMO wireless systems including parameters such as fading, space-time transmission schemes, multiple antenna size, modulation schemes, channel coding and ARQ. We apply the framework to analyze the performance, the optimal channel coding rate and the effect of Doppler on the TCP throughput over the BLAST MIMO system and the orthogonal space-time block coded (STBC) system. We use the network simulator ns-2 to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed analytical framework in characterizing various parameters of the TCP performance. We apply our framework to study of the buffer occupancy for TCP over MIMO systems and to a system that does not follow the AIMD TCP principle: CBR video transmission over MIMO channels.