Optimization of service provisioning in heterogeneous wireless networks: bearer service allocation and pricing

Wireless and mobile communications, as well as the Internet have already got worldwide deployment and are still developing at a rapid pace. Services provided by wireless communications have extended from the simple voice service to multimedia services. It is envisaged that in the next generation wireless networks, heterogeneous wireless access technologies will coexist forming integrated networks, which support multiple services with a high level of quality. A wide range of access technologies make it possible for end users to choose the best available access network to meet the requirements of each type of communication service any time and any where. The evolution of communication services and network technologies creates new business opportunities for communication service providers. For a communication service provider, a central task is to provide satisfying communication services in order to maximize the network revenue. In case multiple services coexist in heterogeneous wireless networks, it is essential to have efficient resource management algorithms to allocate the traffic of various types of services to different types of access networks. Moreover, pricing is also crucial for the business success of a service provider, and it has an influence on the perceived quality of communication services and user traffic demand. An optimal pricing scheme may maximize the network revenue and also have a positive influence on the network performance. Therefore, the successful operation of communication business relies not only on high-level technical performances, but also on proper mechanisms to price communication services. This thesis presents the optimization of bearer service allocation and pricing in heterogeneous networks. The design of the efficient bearer service allocation algorithm aims to improve the combined capacity and performances of different types of bearer services, as well as to reduce the network overhead. First, the performances of real-time traffic and non real-time elastic data traffic in a wireless network are examined and compared using both analytical and simulation approaches. Obtained results provide a valuable input for the derivation of the allocation algorithm. The allocation algorithm is composed of two parts, the capacity-based bearer service allocation, which aims to maximize the combined network capacity, and the performancebased bearer service allocation, which aims to improve the performances of bearer services. A pricing scheme is proposed to maximize the network revenue, which has certain novelties. The pricing scheme is designed for multiple services in heterogeneous networks, and it considers the different efficiency of networks in supporting bearer services. In addition, the influence of the network performance on the network revenue is analysed using numerical examples. This thesis provides some initial results in the area of the optimization of performance and pricing for heterogeneous wireless networks, and may serve as a basis for the research in this area in the future.