Weighted proportional fairness and pricing based resource allocation for uplink offloading using IP flow mobility

Mobile data offloading has been proposed as a solution for the network congestion problem that is continuously aggravating due to the increase in mobile data demand. However, the majority of the state-of-the-art is focused on the downlink offloading, while the change of mobile user habits, like mobile content creation and uploading, makes uplink offloading a rising issue. In this work we focus on the uplink offloading using IP Flow Mobility (IFOM). IFOM allows a LTE mobile User Equipment (UE) to maintain two concurrent data streams, one through LTE and the other through WiFi access technology, that presents uplink limitations due to the inherent fairness design of IEEE 802.11 DCF by employing the CSMA/CA scheme with a binary exponential backoff algorithm. In this paper, we propose a weighted proportionally fair bandwidth allocation algorithm for the data volume that is being offloaded through WiFi, in conjunction with a pricing-based rate allocation for the rest of the data volume needs of the UEs that are transmitted through the LTE uplink. We aim to improve the energy efficiency of the UEs and to increase the offloaded data volume under the concurrent use of access technologies that IFOM allows. In the weighted proportionally fair WiFi bandwidth allocation, we consider both the different upload data needs of the UEs, along with their LTE spectrum efficiency and propose an access mechanism that improves the use of WiFi access in uplink offloading. In the LTE part, we propose a two-stage pricing-based rate allocation under both linear and exponential pricing approaches, aiming to satisfy all offloading UEs regarding their LTE uplink access. We theoretically analyse the proposed algorithms and evaluate their performance through simulations. We compare their performance with the 802.11 DCF access scheme and with a state-of-the-art access algorithm under different number of offloading UEs and for both linear and exponential pricing-based rate allocation for the LTE uplink. Through the evaluation of energy efficiency, offloading capabilities and throughput performance, we provide an improved uplink access scheme for UEs that operate with IFOM for uplink offloading.Peer ReviewedPreprin

Hybrid Spectrum Sharing in mmWave Cellular Networks

While spectrum at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies is less scarce than at traditional frequencies below 6 GHz, still it is not unlimited, in particular if we consider the requirements from other services using the same band and the need to license mmWave bands to multiple mobile operators. Therefore, an efficient spectrum access scheme is critical to harvest the maximum benefit from emerging mmWave technologies. In this paper, we introduce a new hybrid spectrum access scheme for mmWave networks, where data is aggregated through two mmWave carriers with different characteristics. In particular, we consider the case of a hybrid spectrum scheme between a mmWave band with exclusive access and a mmWave band where spectrum is pooled between multiple operators. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study proposing hybrid spectrum access for mmWave networks and providing a quantitative assessment of its benefits. Our results show that this approach provides major advantages with respect to traditional fully licensed or fully unlicensed spectrum access schemes, though further work is needed to achieve a more complete understanding of both technical and non technical implications