On the Equilibrium in a Queuing System with Retrials and Strategic Arrivals

Abstract

This paper considers a callback single-server system with an orbit and a First-Come First-Served (FCFS) service discipline. Customers (users, clients) that encounter a busy server are sent into orbit and then have the option to retry service after an exponential period of time. In addition, each customer entering the system uses a strategy and must independently decide when to arrive in the system within a fixed admission period of time so that the expected sojourn time is minimal. We interpret the arrival process as a Nash equilibrium solution of a noncooperative game when the arrival intensity is completely described by an unknown distribution function, and then we propose a way to find an equilibrium for the case when the client’s waiting time for service is obviously limited. The analytical solution for the equilibrium is illustrated numerically for two-person and three-person games.

Keywords

• callback one-server queuing system
• orbit
• retrials
• strategic behavior
• equilibrium arrivals