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The Case for Boosting Mobile Application QoE via Smart Band Switching in 5G/xG Networks

Published: 28 February 2024 Publication History

Abstract

5G and future 6G networks support diverse combinations of access technologies, architectures, and radio frequencies, with each combination termed as a "band" henceforth. Through comprehensive measurements in 12 cities across 5 countries, we experimentally show that operator-configured default bands are often highly sub-optimal, particularly under mobility. We then propose smart band switching, where a UE's band can be dynamically changed to improve the network performance and boost the application QoE. We discuss challenges, opportunities, and design choices for building a practical smart band switching system. We further develop preliminary UE-side band-switching logic on commodity smartphones, and evaluate it on commercial 5G networks.

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  • (2024)Dissecting Carrier Aggregation in 5G Networks: Measurement, QoE Implications and PredictionProceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2024 Conference10.1145/3651890.3672250(340-357)Online publication date: 4-Aug-2024

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        cover image ACM Conferences
        HotMobile '24: Proceedings of the 25th International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications
        February 2024
        167 pages
        ISBN:9798400704970
        DOI:10.1145/3638550
        This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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        Published: 28 February 2024

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        Author Tags

        1. band switching
        2. band selection
        3. network measurement
        4. mobile QoE
        5. band
        6. radio bands

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        • (2024)Dissecting Carrier Aggregation in 5G Networks: Measurement, QoE Implications and PredictionProceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2024 Conference10.1145/3651890.3672250(340-357)Online publication date: 4-Aug-2024

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