3,624 research outputs found
Channel Fragmentation in Dynamic Spectrum Access Systems - a Theoretical Study
Dynamic Spectrum Access systems exploit temporarily available spectrum
(`white spaces') and can spread transmissions over a number of non-contiguous
sub-channels. Such methods are highly beneficial in terms of spectrum
utilization. However, excessive fragmentation degrades performance and hence
off-sets the benefits. Thus, there is a need to study these processes so as to
determine how to ensure acceptable levels of fragmentation. Hence, we present
experimental and analytical results derived from a mathematical model. We model
a system operating at capacity serving requests for bandwidth by assigning a
collection of gaps (sub-channels) with no limitations on the fragment size. Our
main theoretical result shows that even if fragments can be arbitrarily small,
the system does not degrade with time. Namely, the average total number of
fragments remains bounded. Within the very difficult class of dynamic
fragmentation models (including models of storage fragmentation), this result
appears to be the first of its kind. Extensive experimental results describe
behavior, at times unexpected, of fragmentation under different algorithms. Our
model also applies to dynamic linked-list storage allocation, and provides a
novel analysis in that domain. We prove that, interestingly, the 50% rule of
the classical (non-fragmented) allocation model carries over to our model.
Overall, the paper provides insights into the potential behavior of practical
fragmentation algorithms
Partially-Distributed Resource Allocation in Small-Cell Networks
We propose a four-stage hierarchical resource allocation scheme for the
downlink of a large-scale small-cell network in the context of orthogonal
frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). Since interference limits the
capabilities of such networks, resource allocation and interference management
are crucial. However, obtaining the globally optimum resource allocation is
exponentially complex and mathematically intractable. Here, we develop a
partially decentralized algorithm to obtain an effective solution. The three
major advantages of our work are: 1) as opposed to a fixed resource allocation,
we consider load demand at each access point (AP) when allocating spectrum; 2)
to prevent overloaded APs, our scheme is dynamic in the sense that as the users
move from one AP to the other, so do the allocated resources, if necessary, and
such considerations generally result in huge computational complexity, which
brings us to the third advantage: 3) we tackle complexity by introducing a
hierarchical scheme comprising four phases: user association, load estimation,
interference management via graph coloring, and scheduling. We provide
mathematical analysis for the first three steps modeling the user and AP
locations as Poisson point processes. Finally, we provide results of numerical
simulations to illustrate the efficacy of our scheme.Comment: Accepted on May 15, 2014 for publication in the IEEE Transactions on
Wireless Communication
Is re-farming the answer to the spectrum shortage conundrum?
Radio spectrum has become one of the engines of economic growth. However, rapid technological change, ever increasing demands for new wireless services and the nature of spectrum as a scarce resource necessitate an urgent re-examination of issues such as congestion and interference. This paper argues that the traditional administrative spectrum management approach is unlikely to overcome these issues, thereby resulting in growing technical and economic inefficiencies. As countries review their spectrum policies - a process that is generically referred to as radio spectrum policy reform - to counter these inefficiencies, modifications to the radio frequency allocations and assignments are beginning to be implemented by way of radio spectrum re-farming? This phenomenon forms the subject matter of this paper
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