A Theoretical Framework for Provider’s QoE Assessment using Individual and Objective QoE Monitoring

Network and service providers actively analyze and derive metrics for Quality of Experience (QoE) within their systems. This requires appropriate monitoring approaches. Objective QoE monitoring involves translating QoS parameters into QoE scores by applying appropriate mapping functions, e.g., to obtain Mean Opinion Scores (MOS). Alternatively, individual QoE monitoring allows direct assessment of user QoE based on user’s self-reports. We investigate whether individual and objective QoE monitoring yield similar conclusions on expected QoE and QoE fairness. A theoretical framework is introduced and simulation studies provide numerical results to highlight the differences. This is the first work which analyzes and compares individual and objective QoE monitoring from the provider’s perspective. It closes a major gap in the current QoE research.