Web browsing optimization over 2.5G and 3G: end‐to‐end mechanisms vs. usage of performance enhancing proxies

Abstract

2.5 Generation (2.5G) and Third Generation (3G) cellular wireless networks allow mobile Internet access with bearers specifically designed for data communications. However, Internet protocols under-utilize wireless wide area network (WWAN) link resources, mainly due to large round trip times (RTTs) and request-reply protocol patterns. Web browsing is a popular service that suffers significant performance degradation over 2.5G and 3G. In this paper, we review and compare the two main approaches for improving web browsing performance over wireless links: (i) using adequate end-to-end parameters and mechanisms and (ii) interposing a performance enhancing proxy (PEP) between the wireless and wired parts. We conclude that PEPs are currently the only feasible way for significantly optimizing web browsing behavior over 2.5G and 3G. In addition, we evaluate the two main current commercial PEPs over live general packet radio service (GPRS) and universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) networks. The results show that PEPs can lead to near-ideal web browsing performance in certain scenarios.

A Proxy-Based System For Dynamic Content Negotiation And Collaborative Optimization In Heterogenic Environments

“…The more objects there are to request, the more requests there are to optimize, and so improvement increases. However, it is demonstrated [5] that the downloading order of the objects of a web page affects the overall response time and that it is better to interleave small objects with large objects to keep the server transmitting rather than waiting. Differences in web document structure therefore affect the downloading order and, thus, the size of consecutive objects also affects the response time in conjunction with the number of objects that make up the web page.…”

“…The use of Application Layer Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEP) to address the challenges posed by the problematic characteristics of low-bandwidth wireless wide area network links is a widely studied field and its efficiency has been demonstrated [5,12]. There are several techniques for performance enhancing at the HTTP layer such as [15], pipelining, compression and object adaptation [14,15], and delta encoding [11].…”

Ubiquitous Web Access: Collaborative Optimization and Dynamic Content Negotiation

“…For this reason it is necessary to apply optimization techniques to improve access to different Internet services, like web navigation. In addition, an enhancement on the uplink optimizes the overall be downloading time due the Stop&Wait behaviour of HTTP protocol and the asymmetry between uplink and downlink channels [5]. One technique is removing most static content negotiation headers in HTTP requests over the cellular link and later reconstructing them at the wired side of the network.…”

Broadband satellite multimedia (BSM) interworking with performance enhancing proxies

“…• Standard I-PEP Transport Protocol (I-PEP TP), recommended by Satlabs [4] and used in the distributed PEP configurations. The I-PEP TP is based on an extension set to TCP termed SCPS-TP, which was produced by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS).…”

“…HTTP end-to-end improvement can be using compression plus HTTP 1.1 with Persistent connections Persistent connections and pipelining [3] and [4]. Such mechanisms are advantageous because they are based on standard options and maintain end-to-end semantics.…”