Packet Loss in Real-Time Services: Markovian Models Generating QoE Impairments

Real-time Internet services are gaining in popularity due to rapid provisioning of broadband access technologies. Delivery of high quality of experience (QoE) is important for consumer acceptance of multimedia applications. IP packet level errors affect QoE and the resulting quality degradations have to be taken into account in network operation. We derive the second order statistics of the number of packet losses in finite Markov models over several relevant time scales and adapt them to loss processes visible in wired and wireless transmission channels. Higher order Markov chains offer a large set of parameters to be exploited by complex fitting procedures. We experience that the 2-state Gilbert-Elliott model already captures a wide range of observed loss pattern appropriately and discuss how such models can be used to examine the quality degradations caused by packet losses.