A Review of Downlink Packet Scheduling Algorithms for Real Time Traffic in LTE-Advanced Networks

Objective: In recent times, the demand for high data rates is ever increasing in any wireless network environment. Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) is the latest 4G technology which is developed based on 3GPP specifications. Our main objective in this proposed research wok is to analyze the various packet scheduling algorithms for downlink real time data and present their scheduling metrics. Methods: In this review we considered more recent scheduling algorithms which are QoS aware and with specific focus on real time traffic classes such as VoIP, Video Streaming, Interactive Gaming and mobile video conference. Conclusion: Our most significant observation from this review is that any packet scheduling algorithm for downlink real time data should be QoS aware so that it is readily deployable in the present day multimedia networks. The scheduling schemes should also consider the latest technologies such as Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Multi Input and Multi Output (MIMO). Applications: The presented review will help the researchers and academicians to develop more efficient scheduling schemes for real time applications for smart phone users with better quality of experience and efficient radio resource management.