Dynamic bandwidth allocation for efficient support of concurrent digital TV and IP multicast services in DVB-T networks

Abstract

Convergence of digital video broadcasting networks, from one hand, and IP wireless networks, from the other hand, represents undoubtedly the main evolution in next generation of services combining digital television and interactive Internet applications. This cross-industry synergy is jointly driven by the growing number of mobile devices willing to access the Internet and the large-scale and low-cost deployment of broadband terrestrial digital broadcasting infrastructures (DVB-T). In this paper, we describe a novel dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm, called iDBMS, for the provisioning of concurrent IP multicast and Digital TV services over a new type of broadband wireless metropolitan area networks that utilises the DVB-T stream in regenerative configurations for creating a multi-service capable infrastructure in the UHF/VHF band. This fast DVB-T metropolitan backbone will permit the seamless inter-connection of multi-technological access networks (i.e. WiFi, xDSL, PSTN, …) at a regional level by means of a shared broadband DVB-T downlink and point-to-point physical return channels. IP over DVB optimization, asymmetric wireless channels and resource allocation are addressed in this paper. Implementation and performance evaluation of the proposed resource management algorithm iDBMS is also presented in the large-scale context of the IST European project ATHENA.