Smoothing effect of the superposition of homogeneous sources in tandem networks

We analyze the smoothing effect of superposing homogeneous sources in a net work. We consider a tandem queueing network representing the nodes that cus tomers generated by these sources pass through. The servers in the tandem q ueues have different time varying service rates. Ln between the tandem queu es there are propagation delays. We show that for arbitrary arrival and ser vice processes which are mutually independent, the sum of unfinished works in che tandem queues is monotone in the number of homogeneous sources in th e increasing convex order sense, provided the total intensity of the foregr ound traffic is constant. The results hold for both fluid and discrete traf fic models.