Wireless Multi-access Delivery for SVC-Based Video Applications

Optimized video delivery, Quality of Experience (QoE) and customer satisfaction are key issues to be addressed by mobile network operators while providing next generation video services to their users. The sharp increase in video traffic, the diversity of video applications and the availability of advanced smart-phones create new challenges that require a closer cooperation between the different layers of the IP protocol stack. Specifically, in this paper we explore the combination of heterogeneous wireless access (3G and WiFi) with intelligent video transport mechanisms implemented at the core network. Experiments demonstrate that implementing Scalable Video Coding (SVC) awareness at the mobility anchors can greatly enhance the video delivery process, increasing the QoE perceived at the users while reducing the cost per bit carried over the wireless network. Leveraging our prior work on IP flow mobility, we conduct experimental tests of SVC-based applications and report the perceived QoE over a sample of 25 people. The results show that the combination of 3G and WiFi coverage enhance the video delivery close to locally played video streams.