Asymptotics of queue length distributions in priority retrial queues

Abstract

We calculate asymptotics of the distribution of the number of customers in orbit in a two-class priority retrial M∕G∕1-type queueing model. In this model, priority customers wait in line while non-priority customers join an orbit and retry later. Although the generating function and moments of the number of customers in orbit have been analyzed before, asymptotics of the distribution have not been thoroughly investigated, mainly because of the complex nature of the generating function. We show that we can use singularity analysis of the probability generating function to do just that. Our results show that different regimes exist for these asymptotics in case of light-tailed service times: in what we call the ‘priority regime’, the tail asymptotics have the same decay (∼cn−3∕2R−n) as in the priority non-retrial queue and the retrial rate only influences the constant c. In the ‘retrial regime’, the retrial rate also influences the sub-exponential factor of the asymptotics. In this regime, asymptotics are very similar to asymptotics in retrial queues without (priority) waiting line. Finally, we also analyze the case that the service time distribution is power law (with or without exponential cut-off) using the same technique.