Adaptive rate allocation for multiple TCP sources in wireless networks

A method for allocating wireless channels to TCP sessions in a multi-rate wireless system, the method comprising:

• assigning a fundamental channel to each of a set of TCP sessions associated with mobile sessions wherein a TCP transmission rate is less than or equal to a fundamental transmission rate;
• when the TCP transmission rate reaches the fundamental channel rate for a TCP session, requesting a supplementary channel for the TCP session wherein the supplementary channel has a supplementary channel rate equal to or greater than the fundamental channel rate;
• if the supplementary channel is available, assigning the supplementary channel to the TCP session in place of the fundamental channel;
• if the supplementary channel is not available, preempting an active TCP session that is already connected to the supplementary channel based on a preemptive probability;
• removing the supplementary channel from the TCP session when the TCP transmission rate is less than the supplemental channel rate;
• and
• using the preemption probability to transition between states defined by the fundamental channel rate, the supplemental rate, and a packet error probability.

A wireless system for adaptive scheduling of channel resources, the system comprising:

• one or more mobile devices operating in a wireless network that respectively generate one or more TCP sessions;
• a base station communicatively connected to said one or more mobile devices and the wireless network;
• and
• a wireless channel scheduler that generates messages that inform the base station of one or more fundamental channel rates to apply respectively to the one or more TCP sessions, that inform the base station of one or more supplementary channel rates to apply respectively to the one or more TCP sessions when one or more requests are made for a high rate channel, that inform the base station to preempt the one or more TCP sessions that are respectively connected to the one or more supplementary channels with a preemption probability, or that inform the base station to remove the one or more supplementary channels respectively from the one or more TCP sessions when a TCP transmission rate is less than a supplemental channel rate
• wherein the wireless scheduler is configured to use the preemption probability to transition between states defined by the fundamental channel rate, the supplemental channel rate, and a packet error probability.