Combining optimal performance with cost-efficiency in adaptive wireless broadcast-based systems

Research on push-based systems has introduced several outstanding theoretical analyses and algorithms, aiming to optimize the clients´ mean waiting time under several conditions. However, the computational and memory requirements aspect has been neglected to a great extend, thusly undermining the primary advantage of push systems over pull-based ones, i.e. their minimal cost. In this paper influential and top performing, well-known algorithms are evaluated from a cost aspect. It is shown that radical improvements are required for them to be realizable. Moreover, a new cost-efficient broadcast scheduling algorithm is introduced, achieving nearly top performance with minimal CPU and memory requirements. The new algorithm also promotes the adaptivity of push systems to the clients´ changing needs, another factor that has not been taken into account by traditional approaches.