REDUCED LOAD APPROXIMATIONS FOR MULTIRATE LOSS NETWORKS

We consider a class of loss networks where each connection specifies a route and a bandwidth requirement. If sufficient bandwidth is not ava ilable in one of the links along the route, the connection is blocked and lost. Three schemes are considered for approximating blocking prob abilities in the network. For a specific star topology, two of these s chemes give blocking probabilities that are very close to the exact va lues under light, moderate, and heavy traffic. The approximations are shown to be asymptotically correct in a natural limiting regime. The i mplied costs and their relation to revenue sensitivity are also determ ined for the approximation schemes. The approximate revenue sensitivit ies are again very close to the exact values for the specific star top ology.