Enabling free internet access at the edges of broadband connections: a hybrid packet scheduling approach

B roadband connection sharing constitutes a network resource pooling technique that could evolve toward supporting the establishment of the “Free Internet for all” notion. This technique could be implemented through the User-Provided Network model in which end-users could become suppliers of Internet connectivity. In this paper, the behavior of such system is investigated from a queuemanagement perspective. A numerical analysis that takes into consideration both the high variability of broadband link speeds and different packet-size distributions is presented. Based on these results, we propose a hybrid packet scheduling scheme that enables the application of Lessthan-Best-Effort services at the connection edges and allows for the development of different packet scheduling policies corresponding to different requirements. Some significant open issues and research directions are also highlighted.