Chronicles of Jockeying in Queuing Systems

Abstract

Emerging trends in communication systems, such as network softwarization, functional disaggregation, and multi-access edge computing (MEC), are reshaping both the infrastructural landscape and the application ecosystem. These transformations introduce new challenges for packet transmission, task offloading, and resource allocation under stringent service-level requirements. A key factor in this context is queue impatience, where waiting entities alter their behavior in response to delay. While balking and reneging have been widely studied, this survey focuses on the less explored but operationally significant phenomenon of jockeying, i.e. the switching of jobs or users between queues. Although a substantial body of literature models jockeying behavior, the diversity of approaches raises questions about their practical applicability in dynamic, distributed environments such as 5G and Beyond. This chronicle reviews and classifies these studies with respect to their methodologies, modeling assumptions, and use cases, with particular emphasis on communication systems and MEC scenarios. We argue that forthcoming architectural transformations in next-generation networks will render many existing jockeying models inapplicable. By highlighting emerging paradigms such as MEC, network slicing, and network function virtualization, we identify open challenges, including state dissemination, migration cost, and stability, that undermine classical assumptions. We further outline design principles and research directions, emphasizing hybrid architectures and decentralized decision making as foundations for re-conceptualizing impatience in next-generation communication systems.