Analytic Model for Network Resource Management between ISPs and Users

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytic model for bandwidth management in a flexible ISP network, optimizing resource allocation between primary and secondary users to maximize utility and QoS.

Contribution

It introduces a two-class service model with an estimation algorithm for bandwidth allocation, balancing user utility, QoS, and ISP penalties.

Findings

Optimized bandwidth division improves user utility.

Algorithm effectively estimates primary user demand.

Trade-offs between QoS and utility are characterized.

Abstract

Fixed Communication Provider (FCP) is a consortium of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which users can switch easily and freely between their ISPs. In order to increase the QoS of the ISPs, we propose a two class service model as the following. ISPs divide their available bandwidth into two parts to provide their end users with optimal services. One dedicated to primary users, and the other for secondary users. Primary users are those who pay more and thus, expect dedicated bandwidth that is always available. Secondary services are provided by ISPs for the other users who cannot afford the dedicated bandwidth. In this study, by defining the utility functions for both user types, we aim at dividing the ISP bandwidth between these two services such that the utility function of the users is maximized. Since the primary users do not always use the maximum bandwidth, an algorithm is proposed for ISPs to estimate the primary users required bandwidth in each time segment based on the previous segments. Based on this estimate, the expected bandwidth is dedicated to the primary users, and the remaining bandwidth is devoted to the secondary users to improve the Quality of Service (QoS). On the other hand, an ISP is penalized if it fails to provide the primary users with the required bandwidth mentioned in their contract. Therefore, there exists a trade-off between the conservative estimation of the primary users rate, QoS of the secondary users and the achieved utility of the ISPs.