Delay analysis of small IP packets in GPRS RLC layer

Though GPRS is no longer used in typical multimedia applications, they are being extensively utilized in remote monitoring and control application due to their high reliability and relatively low cost. However the delay characteristics of lower layers of GPRS system play major role in its overall performance. In literature it is proved through Simulations that the shape of the delay distribution of small IP packets significantly differs from that of the, generally studied, large IP packets. This difference is mainly attributed to the Backward Error Correction (BEC) protocol employed in Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In this paper we present a statistical analysis of these delay characteristics using discrete time Markov chain based analysis. The results show that the shape of delay distribution depends not only on the packet size but also on channel quality.