A Unified Framework for Optimal Wireless Access for Data Streaming Over Vehicle-to-Roadside Communications

Wireless access through vehicle-to-roadside (V2R) communications can be used in public transportation vehicles for streaming applications, e.g., video and interactive advertisements. Efficient wireless access schemes are required to minimize the cost of wireless connectivity for downloading data and to minimize the probability of buffer outage (or underrun) during playout of the streaming data. In this paper, a hierarchical optimization framework is presented to obtain both short- and long-term optimal decisions on wireless access for streaming applications in a public transportation system. This framework considers the application requirements, the cost of wireless connectivity for transit service provider, and the revenue of the wireless network service provider. The onboard unit in a vehicle makes a short-term decision on whether to download streaming data while it is in the coverage area of a roadside unit (RSU). The objective of this decision is to minimize the cost of wireless connectivity while satisfying the application quality-of-service (QoS) requirement in terms of the maximum buffer underrun probability. The transit service provider makes a long-term decision on whether to reserve wireless access or to access wireless service in an on-demand basis in a service area of an RSU. The network service provider makes a long-term decision on pricing on-demand wireless access for V2R communications so that the highest revenue is achieved.