A QoE-Aware Scheduler for HTTP Progressive Video in OFDMA Systems

HTTP progressive video downloading is becoming increasingly relevant in wireless and mobile networks. Therefore, improving the quality of experience (QoE) for this service is important for customer satisfaction. In this letter we propose a QoE-aware scheduling solution for the HTTP progressive video downloading in OFDMA systems. Whereas most scheduling strategies consider QoS metrics such as delay, jitter or throughput, our proposal takes into account a metric that directly affects the end-users experience. In particular, we propose to use an estimation of the amount of video data stored in the player buffer as the main criterion for resource assignment. The ultimate goal of using this criterion is the avoidance of playback interruptions. In particular, we have evaluated this scheduler in an LTE network simulator for the YouTube service, which is the most visited HTTP video streaming site. Our results show a significant improvement compared to the Multicarrier Proportional Fair scheduler, e. g. the number of videos with pauses decrease from 16.1% to 0% for 12 Mbps of cell offered load.