Abstract
Abstract2.5 Generation (2.5G) and Third Generation (3G) cellular wireless networks allow mobile Internet access with bearers specifically designed for data communications. However, Internet protocols under‐utilize wireless wide area network (WWAN) link resources, mainly due to large round trip times (RTTs) and request‐‐reply protocol patterns. Web browsing is a popular service that suffers significant performance degradation over 2.5G and 3G. In this paper, we review and compare the two main approaches for improving web browsing performance over wireless links: (i) using adequate end‐to‐end parameters and mechanisms and (ii) interposing a performance enhancing proxy (PEP) between the wireless and wired parts. We conclude that PEPs are currently the only feasible way for significantly optimizing web browsing behavior over 2.5G and 3G. In addition, we evaluate the two main current commercial PEPs over live general packet radio service (GPRS) and universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) networks. The results show that PEPs can lead to near‐ideal web browsing performance in certain scenarios. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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