HSDPA flow level performance and the impact of terminal mobility

A flow level performance evaluation of data transfer in a UMTS/HSDPA network is presented with a principal focus on the performance impact of terminal mobility. Additional insights are provided regarding the comparison of packet schedulers. We demonstrate and intuitively explain that the flow level performance is non-monotonous in the terminal velocity, and advocate an outer loop link adaptation mechanism to improve the performance for higher velocities. The provided insights further indicate that excluding the flow level dynamics, that are apparent in real networks yet often neglected in performance studies, may lead to distorted conclusions.