Maximization of multicast periodic traffic throughput in multi-hop wireless networks with broadcast transmissions

While similar traffic maximization problems have been studied quite extensively for the case of unicast traffic, its multicast generalization (where each packet should be delivered from the source node to possibly multiple destination nodes) has not been elaborated so far. In this paper we present such a (non-trivial) generalization, namely a mathematical programming model based on the extension of the compatible set concept where the signal-to-noise and interference (SINR) ratio is guaranteed above a threshold at multiple receivers. We first propose an algorithm for solving the problem that generates compatible sets and schedules the frame by splitting the (predefined) multicast routing trees into one-hop transmissions. The high computational efficiency of the algorithm is proven through numerical results on large networks. Next, we enrich the model by adding multicast tree optimization, illustrating its efficiency numerically as well. Finally, we present possible extensions that consider packets of different lengths (requiring multiple slots for transmission), multiple modulation and coding schemes (MCS) requiring different SINR thresholds at the receivers, and packet delay minimization.