Predictive call admission control for multimedia streaming in CDMA cellular environments

Third-generation (3G) wireless networks based on code-division multiple access (CDMA) have been engineered to provide mobile users with voice as well as advanced packet data services. Support of Internet-based multimedia streaming services is considered a critical factor for future deployment of such networks. Provisioning streaming services in a dependable way, however, requires supporting data transmission at relatively high data rates while maintaining session quality during both intracell and intercell user movements. In this paper, an adaptive bandwidth allocation and admission control scheme is proposed for managing network resources for a streaming service. Streaming requests are assumed to be served by an adaptive server capable of choosing suitable video streaming parameters (e.g., video resolution, frame rate, and encoding parameters) in response to possible requests from the wireless network to vary the currently allocated bandwidth. The devised admission control scheme exploits a priori knowledge of user mobility patterns to minimize the risk of running into an overload condition after acceptance of a new multimedia streaming connection. The obtained simulation results show that, compared to a nonpredictive admission control scheme, the proposed scheme achieves a lower forced-termination probability and higher throughput, while consuming less base-station transmission energy.