Machine-to-Machine traffic characterization: Models and case study on integration in LTE

This paper analyses and compares three different models for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) traffic and investigates the possibility of integrating generated M2M traffic into a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. According to the authors´ knowledge, current M2M traffic models assume that 1) the M2M traffic is aggregated traffic with constant arrival rate and 2) the cellular networks have enough resources to support the generated traffic. However, neither 1) nor 2) are true for M2M traffic in cellular networks. This paper analyses M2M traffic with variable arrival rate under the assumption that the LTE network has limited resources. The results showcase the characteristics of the M2M traffic in a more realistic manner pinpointing the differences from the standard traffic in cellular network. They reveal that the traffic is not self-similar, but only for large number of machines. Also, the results give insight into the design parameters that should be considered for LTE in order to support M2M traffic.