WiLiTV: Reducing Live Satellite TV Costs Using Wireless Relays

• Published in: IEEE journal on selected areas in communications Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 233 - 245
• Main Authors: Kumar, Rajeev, Margolies, Robert, Jana, Rittwik, Yong Liu, Panwar, Shivendra S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.02.2018
• Subjects: IPTV; Live TV distribution; low cost architecture; LTE; mmWave; QoE; Relays; Routing; Satellite antennas; Satellite broadcasting; satellite TV; WiFi; Wireless communication; Wireless fidelity
• ISSN: 0733-8716; 1558-0008
• DOI: 10.1109/JSAC.2018.2804040

The bandwidth required for TV content distribution is rapidly increasing due to the evolution of high definition TV (HDTV) and ultra HDTV. Service providers are constantly trying to differentiate themselves by innovating new ways of distributing content more efficiently with lower cost and higher penetration. We propose a cost-efficient wireless architecture [wireless live TV (WiLiTV)], consisting of a mix of wireless access technologies [satellite, Wi-Fi, and LTE/5G millimeter wave (mmWave) overlay links], for delivering live TV services. In the proposed architecture, live TV content is injected into the network at selected locations, consisting of some homes and/or cellular base stations, using satellite antennas. The content is then further distributed to other homes using a house-to-house Wi-Fi network or an LTE/5G mmWave overlay. We construct an optimal content distribution network with the minimum number of satellite injection points, while preserving the highest quality of experience, for different neighborhood densities. We evaluate the framework using time-varying demand patterns and a diverse set of home location data provided from an operational content distribution network. Our study demonstrates that this architecture reduces the overall cost by 60% compared with the traditional architecture. We have also shown that the WiLiTV is robust in its support for several TV formats.