Video services over 4G wireless networks: not necessarily streaming

Fourth generation wireless systems are expected to extend wireless service to high data rates in high-mobility environments. This paper investigates the possible gains and drawbacks of: (1) discontinuous coverage; and (2) ubiquitous coverage with several data rates, when these approaches are used to support video services. The video services considered use prerecorded sequences and are delivered either using streaming or bursting. The user mobility is modeled as a two-dimensional weighted random walk. Results show that a combination of variable rates and bursting provides the best capacity improvement, supporting 24 times the offered load handled by streaming and fixed rate.