Quality of Service in WiMAX and LTE Networks

A quality of service framework is a fundamental component of a 4G broadband wireless network for satisfactory service delivery of evolving Internet applications to end users, and managing the network resources. Today's popular mobile Internet applications, such as voice, gaming, streaming, and social networking services, have diverse traffic characteristics and, consequently, different QoS requirements. A rather flexible QoS framework is highly desirable to be future-proof to deliver the incumbent as well as emerging mobile Internet applications. This article highlights QoS frameworks and features of OFDMA-based 4G technologies - IEEE 802.16e, IEEE 802.16m, and LTE - to support various applications' QoS requirements. A few advanced QoS features such as new scheduling service (i.e., aGP), quick access, delayed bandwidth request, and priority controlled access in IEEE 802.16m are explained in detail. A brief comparison of the QoS framework of the aforementioned technologies is also provided.