Evaluating RaptorQ FEC over 3GPP multicast services

Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS), in order to efficiently deliver the same content to multiple users over mobile cellular networks. To enhance the download and streaming delivery robustness against packet losses, 3GPP proposes the use of Forward Error Correction (FEC) on the application layer. The Application Layer FEC (AL-FEC) scheme that 3GPP standardized is based on the systematic, fountain Raptor code. In this work, in response to the emergence of an enhanced FEC scheme, we provide a performance evaluation of the existing standardized AL-FEC scheme with the newly introduced RaptorQ code. Introducing a variety of simulation experiments, we analyze the performance behavior of each AL-FEC scheme considering several FEC encoding parameters. Furthermore, we try to verify the improvements that have emerged in AL-FEC providing enhanced capabilities in multicast services over next generation mobile networks.