A Survey of Multimedia Streaming in LTE Cellular Networks

Abstract: With the growing of Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks and the increase in the demand of the video services, it is vital to consider the challenges in the streaming services from a different perspective. A perspective that focuses on the streaming services in light of cellular networks challenges, both per layer basis and across multiple layers as well. In this tutorial, we highlight the main challenges that faces the industry of video streaming in the context of cellular networks with a focus on LTE. We also discuss proposed solutions for these challenges while highlighting the limitations of these solutions and the conditions/assumptions required for these solution to deliver high performance. In addition, we show different work in cross layer optimization for video streaming and how it leads towards a more optimized end to end LTE networking for video streaming. Finally, we suggest different open research areas in the domain of video delivery over LTE networks that can significantly enhance the quality of streaming experience to the end user.