A Novel E2E Path Selection Algorithm for Superior QoS and QoE for 6G Services

The progression of Sixth-Generation (6G) services requires networks to meet stringent Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) standards, demanding superior performance from all network segments. Selecting the most suitable path that meets application demands across multiple network segments is a key strategy for achieving these objectives. Traditional and modern path selection methods focus on QoS metrics such as bandwidth and latency to ensure efficient and reliable data delivery. However, as 6G introduces more interactive applications like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), prioritizing user experience alongside QoS metrics becomes more crucial. This paper presents a Service-Aware Optimal Path Selection (SOPS) algorithm designed to select an optimal End-to-End (E2E) path for each application by minimizing a global cost function that incorporates both QoS and QoE parameters. The global optimality of the selected E2E path is proven by demonstrating the closed and convex nature of the underlying cost functions. Moreover, our proposed distributed cost function ensures optimal E2E paths formed from selected network segment-specific paths. Extensive simulations show that SOPS improves QoS and QoE when compared with other state-of-the-art routing algorithms. SOPS enhances QoS by improving reliability by 0.84% and reducing packet delay by 5.55%. An improvement of up to 99.65% is seen in the connection acceptance ratio, particularly for diverse application requirements. Significant improvements in QoE are observed across Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and video applications, with throughput increases of 10.04% and 7.99%, jitter reductions of 86.25% and 2.49%, and delay improvements of 77.08% and 0.69%, respectively.