Code-Rate Selection, Queueing Behavior, and the Correlated Erasure Channel Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This paper considers the relationship between code-rate selection and queueing performance for communication systems subject to time-varying channel conditions. While error-correcting codes offer protection against channel uncertainties, there exists a natural tradeoff between the enhanced protection of low-rate codes and the rate penalty imposed by additional redundancy. In the limiting regime where codewords are asymptotically long, this tradeoff is well understood and characterized by the Shannon capacity. However, for delay-sensitive communication systems and finite block lengths, a complete characterization of this tradeoff is not fully developed. This paper offers a new perspective on the queueing performance of communication systems with finite block lengths operating over correlated erasure channels. A rigorous framework that links code rate to overall system performance for random codes is presented. Guidelines for code-rate selection in delay-sensitive systems are identified. These findings are supported by a numerical study. 2012 IEEE.

published proceedings

  • IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION THEORY

author list (cited authors)

  • Parag, P., Chamberland, J., Pfister, H. D., & Narayanan, K.

citation count

  • 11

complete list of authors

  • Parag, Parimal||Chamberland, Jean-Francois||Pfister, Henry D||Narayanan, Krishna

publication date

  • January 2013