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Understanding the characteristics of cellular data traffic

Published: 24 September 2012 Publication History

Abstract

Because of rapidly growing subscriber populations, advances in cellular communication technology, increasingly capable user terminals, and the expanding range of mobile applications, cellular networks have experienced a significant increase in data traffic, the dominant part of which is carried by the http protocol. Understanding the characteristics of this traffic is important for network design, traffic modeling, resource planning and network control. In this study we present a comprehensive characterization study of mobile http-based traffic using packet level traces collected in a large cellular network. We analyze the traffic using metrics at packet level, flow level and session level. For each metric, we conduct a comparison between traffic from different applications, as well as comparison to traffic in a wired network. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for better resource utilization in cellular infrastructures.

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    Published In

    cover image ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
    ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review  Volume 42, Issue 4
    Special october issue SIGCOMM '12
    October 2012
    538 pages
    ISSN:0146-4833
    DOI:10.1145/2377677
    Issue’s Table of Contents

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    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    Published: 24 September 2012
    Published in SIGCOMM-CCR Volume 42, Issue 4

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    Author Tags

    1. cellular
    2. comparison
    3. fixed
    4. measurement
    5. traffic
    6. wireless
    7. wireline

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