Multicast TV Channels over Wireless Neutral Access Networks: Proof of Concept and Implementation

IP traffic trends and forecasts suggest that television over IP (IPTV) will be the killer application for nextgeneration networks (NGNs). There is, however, a chicken and egg situation between the deployment of broadband access networks and the diffusion of high quality multimedia services, such as high definition television, which actually impairs the development of NGNs. As a matter of fact, most existing access infrastructures are still under-provisioned and they provide no suitable support to the widespread diffusion of global Internet TV channels, while wireless access networks are sprouting worldwide to provide nomadic connectivity and to bridge digital divide in sparsely-populated regions. In this scenario, IPTV services are delivered only within the walled gardens of biggest wireline operators and they are far away from reaching the critical mass required to attract investments in NGNs. This paper proposes technological and architectural solutions which enable the widespread diffusion of Internet TV channels over existing wireless access networks, thus overcoming the deadlock between services and infrastructures and paving the way to NGNs. In particular, the paper addresses both technological and market issues and presents the results of laboratory tests and proof-of-concept experiments conducted within the wireless campus of the University of Urbino. Finally, the paper outlines the implementation of the key components of the proposed architecture as addins of openBOXware, an open source platform for the development of bandwidth-aware multimedia applications over IP.