Network Quality of Service: What Do Users Need? Network Quality of Service: What Do Users Need?

The number of heterogeneous networked applications is constantly increasing. It is likely that network resources will have to be partitioned according to the different Quality of Service (QoS) demands made by the users of these applications. One way of implementing a partitioned network – favored in technical literature − is in terms of quality-based pricing (e.g.[1],[2],[3]). Most published proposals for partitioned networks assume users’ assessments of the quality they receive mirrors the objective quality delivered at the network level (measurable through characteristics such as packet loss and delay). It is also assumed that users are prepared to pay more for higher levels of objective QoS when they need it. In this paper, we demonstrate that these assumptions may not be correct. We report an experiment in which users’ QoS requirements for interactive audio were investigated. During the experiment the QoS received was linked to an expendable resource. We also established participant’s attitudes to dynamic pricing during semi-structured interviews. Our results suggest that users’ assessments of the value of QoS received is influenced by a number of different factors – hence, the same level of quality will receive different assessments in different circumstances. We also found that a Predictable level of QoS is a key requirement for users of networked applications. The results from the interviews suggest that, when users accept a pricing scheme they develop strategies to optimize their use of an expendable resource. We conclude by outlining the implications of our findings for the design of resource allocation and pricing schemes for the future Internet.