Efficiency of the GSM-GPRS Air Interface for Real-Time IP Traffic Flows With and Without Packet Dropping

Abstract

One IP terminal can occupy a single slot or a multiple number of slots within time frames in the GSM and GPRS, respectively. A limited number of radio resources (slots) are allocated in a base station for such IP terminals. If one IP terminal can occupy only one slot discontinuously in a time frame, there is one possibility resorting to all IP terminals to preserve active mode at a time. Thus, the number of accepted call in the GSM is the same as that of the radio resource. Similarly, if one terminal can occupy a multiple number of slots discontinuously/dynamically in a time frame, the number of accepted calls is obtained by dividing the number of radio resources during that time by the maximum allowed number of slots per IP terminal. A burstiness factor is defined for the IP traffic over GSM-GPRS air interface. Traffic channel efficiency with a bursty real-time IP traffic is unacceptably low, especially with the range of acceptable call loss probabilities pertaining to a lower burstiness factor. The channel efficiency can be enhanced and the call loss probability can be suppressed significantly if a higher maximum number of calls is accepted. Allocated radio resources are less than the maximum number of packet transmissions at a time. Therefore, some packets could be dropped from the real-time transmission system. A complete analysis for the real-time IP packet transmission over the single slot GSM and dynamically variable multislot GPRS air interface without packet dropping, and with packet dropping that increases the channel efficiency is executed. Results show that the channel efficiency as well as the packet dropping probability increases with increasing call intensity, maximum number of admitted IP calls and the burstiness factor.