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Abstract

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are seen as a means to provide last mile connections in Next Generation Networks (NGNs). Because of their auto configuration capabilities and the low deployment cost WMNs are considered to be an efficient solution for the support of multiple voice, video and data services in NGNs. This paper looks at the optimal provision of resources in WMNs for Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic, which has strict performance requirements in terms of delay, jitter and packet loss. In WMNs, because of the challenges introduced by wireless multi hop transmissions and limited resources, providing performance quality for VoIP comparable to the voice quality in the traditional circuit switched networks is a major challenge.

This paper analyses different scheduling mechanisms for TDMA based access control in mesh networks as specified in the IEEE 802.16 2004 WiMAX standard. The performance of the VoIP applications when different scheduling mechanisms are deployed is analysed on a variety of topologies using ns 2 simulation and mathematical analysis. The paper concludes that on demand scheduling of VoIP traffic typically deployed in 802.11 based WMNs is not able to provide the required VoIP quality in realistic mesh WiMAX network scenarios and is therefore not optimal from a network operator’s point of view. Instead, it is shown, that continuous scheduling is much better suited to serve VoIP traffic. The paper then proposes a new VoIP aware resource coordination scheme and shows, through simulation, that the new scheme is scalable and provides good quality for VoIP service in a wide range of network scenarios. The results shown in the paper prove that the new scheme is resilient to increasing hop count, increasing number of simultaneous VoIP sessions and the background traffic load in the network. Compared to other resource coordination schemes the VoIP aware scheduler significantly increases the number of supported calls.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Computer Networks. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Computer Networks, Volume 54, Issue 2, 15 February 2010, Pages 257–277 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2009.05.014.
Publisher Keywords:	Wireless Mesh Network, Voice over IP – VoIP, Quality of Service – QoS, Delay, Jitter, Packet error rate, Multi-hop, Triple Play, R-score
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Engineering
Related URLs:	Author
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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