Qoe-Based User-Regulated Congestion Control

In response to poor quality of experience (QoE), users self-regulating, i.e. they immediately release bandwidth and abandon network. However, there are studies that show users are willing to tolerate poor QoE for some time to evaluate if network performance will improve before abandoning the network. In this paper, we investigate how users willingness to wait for improved QoE may influence network activities, such as network pricing, bandwidth allocation, network revenue, and performance. We develop and employ a self-regulation model that includes user evaluation of QoE before deciding to abandon or stay in the network. This model considers these two factors: user tolerance of low QoE and the price per unit a user is willing to pay. Our investigation uncovers a double edged problem network may be populated with lower paying users, who are also dissatisfied. These lower paying users drive the price higher than the price produced by conventional solution for network congestion. This leads to our proposal for a market informed congestion control scheme, where network resolves congestion based on user profile that is dermed by their ability to pay and demand for bandwidth.