Search Results (6)

This article aims to test, measure and evaluate the quality of voice calls made in a mobile cellular network. A set of drive tests were conducted, during which logs were collected using specialized measurement terminals equipped with a dedicated voice evaluation application. Three different scenarios were considered: the first scenario consisted of a series of mobile-to-mobile calls in a circuit-switched (CS) domain over the GSM network, the second scenario involved similar calls using the VoLTE service in a packet-switched (PS) domain of a 4G network, and the third scenario employed an over-the-top (OTT) media service type via the WhatsApp application in the same PS domain of the 4G network. The measurement results highlight the user experience in each scenario and compare the voice quality evaluated through the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) across the CS and PS domains. The originality of this work consists of in situ measurements performed in Bucharest, Romania, providing detailed, context-specific insights regarding the network performance that can drive local improvements and support policy and investment decisions. Full article

With the explosive pace of mobile over-the-top (OTT) video content streaming services, mobile network traffic has seen unprecedented growth in recent years. However, the limitation of antenna performance, the burden of investment cost, and restricted resources hinder improving the current mobile networks’ functionality. Accordingly, wireless device-to-device (D2D) caching networks came to the fore as one of the competitive alternatives for alleviating the overloads of mobile network traffic. Wireless D2D caching networks can be a desirable alternative for OTT service providers and telecommunication operators, but the problem is user resistance. User participation is imperative to deliver wireless D2D caching network functionality successfully. Thus, to gain a deeper understanding of user resistance toward wireless D2D caching networks and their underlying sources, this study introduces two perceived cost factors contributing to this resistance and one perceived benefit that mitigates such resistance. Based on an online survey, this study found new theoretical links among perceived costs and benefits, resistance, and participation intention. The findings reveal that user resistance is predicted by perceived costs, encompassing resource sacrifices and privacy concerns, whereas perceived benefits—specifically, perceived usefulness—did not significantly influence resistance. This implies that telecommunication operators should prioritize market requirements over technological advantages, emphasizing the potential for successful commercialization of wireless D2D caching networks. Full article

The fifth generation (5G) of cellular networks improves the precision of user localization and provides the means to disclose location information to over-the-top (OTT) service providers. The network data analytics function (NWDAF) can further elaborate this information at an aggregated level using artificial intelligence techniques. These powerful features may lead to the improper use of user location information by mobile network operators (MNOs) and OTT service providers. Moreover, vulnerabilities at various layers may also leak user location information to eavesdroppers. Hence, the privacy of users is likely at risk, as location is part of their sensitive data. In this paper, we first go through the evolution of localization in cellular networks and investigate their effects on location privacy. Then, we propose a location-privacy-preserving integrated solution comprising virtual private mobile networks, an independent authentication and billing authority, and functions to protect wireless signals against location information leakage. Moreover, we advocate the continuous and detailed control of localization services by the user. Full article

Globally, developments and innovations in television technology, including the launch and growth of over-the-top television services (OTT TV), have affected traditional pay-TV operators’ ability to grow a subscriber base and retain existing customers. Despite attempts made by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to ascertain the impact of the OTT TV on pay-TV services, the results have remained inconclusive. In the absence of a comprehensive assessment and credible evidence, this paper sought to ascertain the impact that OTT TV services have on traditional pay-TV services in South Africa. A quantitative research method was adopted using a non-probability sampling technique for data collection. A total of 391 responses were collected utilising an online survey questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics on IBM^® SPSS^® version 26. The main findings of the study showed that OTT TV services are a complementary service to pay-TV services as opposed to a substitute. Low-income earners are using free/paid mobile applications to consume TV content, and for those who have neither OTT TV nor pay-TV services, free-to-air services are the preferred platform for TV consumption. This study benefits all stakeholders in digital media and business strategy, as well as marketing students. Full article

Service perception analysis is crucial for understanding both user experiences and network quality as well as for maintaining and optimizing of mobile networks. Given the rapid development of mobile Internet and over-the-top (OTT) services, the conventional network-centric mode of network operation and maintenance is no longer effective. Therefore, developing an approach to evaluate and optimizing users’ service perceptions has become increasingly important. Meanwhile, the development of a new sensing paradigm, mobile crowdsensing (MCS), makes it possible to evaluate and analyze the user’s OTT service perception from end-user’s point of view other than from the network side. In this paper, the key factors that impact users’ end-to-end OTT web browsing service perception are analyzed by monitoring crowdsourced user perceptions. The intrinsic relationships among the key factors and the interactions between key quality indicators (KQI) are evaluated from several perspectives. Moreover, an analytical framework of perceptional degradation and a detailed algorithm are proposed whose goal is to identify the major factors that impact the perceptional degradation of web browsing service as well as their significance of contribution. Finally, a case study is presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method using a dataset crowdsensed from a large number of smartphone users in a real mobile network. The proposed analytical framework forms a valuable solution for mobile network maintenance and optimization and can help improve web browsing service perception and network quality. Full article

This paper investigates key determinants of business performance in China’s video industry in the era of digital convergence. Specifically, we analyze China’s OTT (over-the-top) service providers and cable operators based on the perspective of an industry platform, which acts as the core module of a business ecosystem and is capable of facilitating and coordinating interdependence among different agents. Panel data models are established to empirically explore what factors impact the performance of these two types of players. The findings demonstrate that both platform use and the size of an installed base are crucial for the determinants of the performance of OTT service providers and cable operators. An online video platform can also benefit from an increasing proportion of mobile viewers by implementing a multi-screen strategy. Further, an OTT service provider can profit from the interaction between its installed base and UGC (user-generated content), while cable operators can take advantage of positive feedback between their demand side and supply side. Full article