Traffic Dimensioning for Multimedia Wireless Networks

Wireless operators adopting third-generation (3G) technologies and those migrating from second-generation (2G) to 3G face a number of challenges related to traffic modeling, demand characterization, and performance analysis, which are key elements in the processes of designing, dimensioning and optimizing their network infrastructure. Traditional traffic modeling assumptions used for circuit-switched voice traffic no longer hold true with the convergence of voice and data over packet-switched infrastructures. Self-similar models need to be explored to appropriately account for the burstiness that packet traffic is expected to exhibit in all time scales. The task of demand characterization must include an accurate description of the multiple user profiles and service classes the network is expected to support, with their distinct geographical distributions, as well as forecasts of how the market should evolve over near and medium terms. The appropriate assessment of the quality of service becomes a more complex issue as new metrics and more intricate dependencies have to be considered when providing a varying range of services and applications that include voice, real-time, and non-real time data. All those points have to be considered by the operator to obtain a proper dimensioning, resource allocation, and rollout plan for system deployment. Additionally, any practical optimization strategy has to rely o