A Model for the Performance Evaluation of Packet Transmissions Using Type-II Hybrid ARQ over a Correlated Error Channel

Type-II Hybrid-ARQ (Type-II HARQ) has been shown, under certain circumstances, to increase the efficiency and reduce loss of data transmissions over a wireless channel. However, it is difficult to predict how it will perform when transmission symbol errors are correlated. We present a computationally efficient approach to the performance evaluation of packet transmissions over a wireless link employing Type-II HARQ error mitigation when the physical channel is subject to correlated transmission symbol errors. This provides a tool for static or online optimization of system parameters. We present numerical results for a wide range of channel statistics, illustrating the effect of bit error correlation, bit error rate, and block size on packet latency and loss rate.