Cross-Layer Radio Resource Management Protocols for QoS Provisioning in Multimedia Wireless Networks

Introduction

Future communication systems are expected to provide a broad range of multimedia services with guaranteed quality of service (QoS). Therefore, effective management of the limited radio resources is important to enhance the network performance. Cross-layered radio resource management algorithms are some of the protocols that being designed to optimally adapt to channel conditions and specific applications requirements. Their purpose is to solve the issue of the lack of built-in mechanisms for protocol layers that makes it very difficult to provide guaranteed QoS for multimedia applications. This chapter intends to provide an overview of the various QoS requirements in next generation wireless multimedia networks, and some of the proposed solutions for effective management of the limited radio resources to enhance the network performance.

In this context, the chapter concentrates on the packets scheduling and admission control schemes proposed for QoS provisioning in such networks. As data communication through the air interface faces the hardest challenges, the chapter attempts to focus on the radio channel conditions and to explore the novel approaches based on cross-layered radio resource management protocols while presenting an overview on such protocols presented in literature.