@article {3113,
	title = {Application Layer Forward Error Correction for Multicast Streaming over LTE Networks},
	journal = {International Journal of Communication Systems, Wiley InterScience},
	volume = {26},
	year = {2013},
	pages = {1459-1574},
	abstract = {<p>The next step beyond third generation (3G) mobile networks is the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, named Long Term Evolution (LTE). A key feature of LTE is the enhancement of Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS), where the same content is transmitted to multiple users located in a specific service area. To support efficient download and streaming delivery, 3GPP included an application layer Forward Error Correction (AL-FEC) technique based on the systematic fountain Raptor code, in the MBMS standard. In order to achieve protection against packet losses, Raptor codes introduce redundant packets to the transmission, i.e., the FEC overhead. In this work, we investigate the application of AL-FEC over MBMS streaming services. We consider the benefits of AL-FEC for a continuous multimedia stream transmission to multiple users and we examine how the amount of FEC redundancy can be adjusted under different packet loss conditions. For this purpose, we present a variety of realistic simulation scenarios for the application of AL-FEC and furthermore we provide an in-depth analysis of Raptor codes performance introducing valuable suggestions to achieve efficient use of Raptor codes.</p>
},
	keywords = {FEC, LTE, MBMS},
	author = {Christos Bouras and Andreas Papazois and Vasileios Kokkinos and Nikos Kanakis}
}
