A fast packet scheduling algorithm to provide QoS for streaming service in shared channels

Streaming service becomes an essential service in the third-generation cellular mobile network and its evolutions. Packet scheduling plays an important role in radio resource management to guarantee QoS of streaming service. In this paper, a novel fast packet scheduling algorithm called MAF (Minimum Ahead First) is proposed for HS-DSCH (High Speed Downlink shared channel) in HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access). In the proposed algorithm, the streaming users which intend to transmit data exigently are scheduled with high priorities. Both the delay of packets in NodeB buffer and the data size in UE buffer are considered together as a parameter to indicate the exigent degrees of transmission. The performance of MAF algorithm combined with Max C/I and PF algorithms is analyzed. The simulation results show that the proposed MAF algorithm achieves an improvement in term of providing QoS for streaming service. The different priority provided by the MAF algorithm with different thresholds for streaming service is also indicated by numeral results in several multi-service scenarios.