An autonomous QoE-driven network management framework

•A QoE management framework for packet-switched networks is presented.•The framework is application and technology-independent.•A prototype is implemented which demonstrates the use of the framework.•The prototype manages network access point traffic for OTT multimedia services.•The prototype improves perceived quality and optimizes resource usage.

Recently, network researchers have taken a great interest in quality of experience (QoE) and in the new aspects it brings in the study of the link between network conditions and user satisfaction. Also, the realization that the information of users’ satisfaction can be directly applied in the network management in a real-time manner has resulted in a fair amount of publications. Although the systems and frameworks presented in these publications tackle the subject of QoE-driven management quite successfully, they often concentrate on certain applications or technologies. We present a generic QoE management framework, which is applicable to a broad range of systems. We also demonstrate an instantiation of this framework as a network access point management system for RTP-based video. This system is not only able to positively affect the perceived quality of the multimedia application considered, but also to reduce over-prioritization and optimize resource usage.