A cross layer architecture for multicast and unicast video transmission in mobile broadband networks

This paper focuses on the transport of Unicast and Multicast traffic in the mobile broadband networks. The main objective is to allow video streaming applications to adapt its parameters according to 802.16MAC layer conditions and resource availability. For unicast traffic, we propose a cross layer optimizer, named XLO, between scalable video streaming application and IEEE 802.16 MAC layer. XLO uses the existing service flow management messages exchanged between a base station (BS) and a subscriber station (SS) and make them available to the video streaming application via a specific XLO interface. We implemented the XLO in the QualNet simulator and performed extensive simulations using a personalized scalable video traffic generator, capable of streaming video with different data rates and quality levels. We also introduce an enhanced admission control function at the BS that takes into account video adaptability property. The simulation results show the effectiveness of our XLO mechanism for delivering better quality of service. For multicast traffic, we propose a new solution based on superposition coding and make use of scalable video coding in order to optimize the network resources.