Incentive Compatible MAC-Layer QoS Design

The implementation of QoS provisioning at the MAC layer requires users to classify their traffic into QoS categories. In realistic scenarios where users are selfish and interested in maximizing their own utility, users may have an interest in misrepresenting the QoS category of their traffic. We examine a simplified model for IEEE 802.11e networks in which channel access can be obtained via random access or polling. Using concepts from game theory, we show that a polling based incentive mechanism can stimulate users to truthfully report the QoS category of their traffic. Furthermore, we show that our incentive mechanism improves the system capacity, in terms of the number of QoS constrained users that can be admitted, when users are strategic.