Fair and efficient resource management scheme to support transient data recovery for migrating users in wireless multicast networks

Migrating users in a wireless multicast network may need to recover lost data during handoffs before they can merge into the respective multicast groups in the new cell. The multicast groups in packet switched wireless networks typically share resources on a statistical multiplexed basis. To minimize impact on other users, we allow part of a multicast group’s assigned bandwidth to be shared by the handoff users for transient data recovery using the proposed Weighted Fair Share (WFS) method with optimal weight selection. Handoff users are admitted into the new cell using the proposed Multicast Connection Admission Control (MCAC) scheme. These schemes constitute the Fair and Efficient Wireless Multicast resource management Scheme (FEWMS) presented in this paper. Under FEWMS, the migrating user can quickly recover lost data and merge into the existing multicast group during a handoff. Simulations using self-similar traffic sources show that the proposed method reduces the handoff failure probability of migrating users and increases the overall system throughput compared to existing proposals.