Game-based cross-layer channel allocation with SVC-encoded multimedia streams in cognitive radio networks

The available unlicensed spectrum is increasingly being used by new wireless technologies, but past measurements show that the licensed spectrum is extremely underutilized. To address this issue, the IEEE 802.22 Working Group is developing a novel wireless air interface standard based on cognitive radios (CRs), i.e. IEEE 802.22 wireless regional area networks (WRANs). Moreover, over the last decade wireless multimedia applications have developed rapidly, raising significant concerns about the quality of service (QoS) of multimedia stream transmissions. In particular, the Joint Video Team (JVT) and ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) jointly proposed Scalable Video Coding (SVC) as the next-generation multimedia compression standard. However, the current IEEE 802.22 WRAN draft does not specify QoS mechanisms for SVC-encoded multimedia stream transmission in CR networks. To resolve this problem, we developed a cross-layer channel allocation algorithm (CLCAA) and a novel media access control (MAC) protocol to work with the algorithm. The CLCAA adapts to the characteristics of multimedia traffic and variations of wireless channels by determining the weighting of source-destination pair, which is determined by the deadlines of SVC-encoded multimedia streams, the queuing delay and channel conditions. The CLCAA then allocates transmission opportunities to source-destination pairs based on their weightings and game theory. We also conducted extensive simulations to demonstrate the efficiency of the CLCAA scheme. The simulation results show that the CLCAA scheme not only guarantees QoS for multimedia traffic but also achieves fairness across different streams.