Dimensioning VoIP capacity in maritime networks

Abstract

Long range multi-hop wireless broadband services are an alternative to satellite for the provision of Internet connectivity. In a maritime network scenario, they can potentially offer solutions close to ports or relatively narrow water channels; over such a multi-hop network one could enable various services ranging from simple file transfers to real-time communication. Concentrating on the latter case, which poses the biggest challenges, we develop and evaluate strategies for dynamic and predictive network resource allocation in order to support Voice over IP. We analyse how the ability to monitor the mobility of seaborne vessels through the Automatic Identification System provides us with a critical advantage in anticipating topology changes. The algorithms developed maintain high resource utilization levels but also offer significant enhancements in Quality of Service by withholding resources for arriving vessels in order to satisfy their imminent data traffic demands.