Can scheduling with error rate consideration support TCP performance comparable to packet combining HARQ in evolved UTRA and UTRAN networks?

As a key technology of evolved UTRA and UTRAN, hybrid ARQ with packet combining (HARQ with PC) can effectively improve the throughput performance for poor channel condition users without doing unacceptable level of harm to the system transmission efficiency or the throughput performance of good condition users. In the present study, we attempt to apply scheduling with error rate consideration as an alternative method by which to realize a comparable TCP performance to HARQ with PC. Scheduling with error rate consideration introduces the transmission failure possibility (error rate) in order to modify the existing channel-aware scheduling schemes to avoid high-risk transmissions, and thus improves TCP performance. Simulations show that scheduling with error rate consideration can realize a TCP performance comparable to HARQ with PC when no user continuously experiences a nearly zero successful transmission possibility environment. Moreover, it is shown herein that a synergistic improvement can be achieved by applying scheduling with error rate consideration to HARQ with PC.