QoE awareness in progressive caching and DASH-based D2D video streaming in cellular networks

In this paper, we present an architecture to improve video streaming quality of experience (QoE) in cellular networks with high user equipment (UE) density. In the proposed architecture, video segments are progressively cached, as requested, in selected UEs called storage members (SMs). Video segments are strategically cached to be available to requesting users in the cell. Furthermore, the base-station controls the device-to-device communication between the UEs to provide collaborative peer-to-peer transmission of video segments. Dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP is also employed to adapt the quality of video segments to network conditions. We study the improvements achieved by the proposed architecture in terms of many video streaming QoE metrics. Thereafter, we improve the operation of the proposed architecture by introducing QoE awareness to both caching and distribution of video segments. We employ QoE awareness in three aspects of the proposed architecture; cellular resource allocation, caching of video segments, and SM-assignment optimization. We analyze the improvements achieved by the prospered QoE-awareness techniques in terms of video streaming QoE metrics.