1 research outputs found
Performance-Oriented Association in Large Cellular Networks with Technology Diversity
The development of mobile virtual network operators, where multiple wireless
technologies (e.g. 3G and 4G) or operators with non-overlapping bandwidths are
pooled and shared is expected to provide enhanced service with broader
coverage, without incurring additional infrastructure cost. However, their
emergence poses an unsolved question on how to harness such a technology and
bandwidth diversity. This paper addresses one of the simplest questions in this
class, namely, the issue of associating each mobile to one of those bandwidths.
Intriguingly, this association issue is intrinsically distinct from those in
traditional networks. We first propose a generic stochastic geometry model
lending itself to analyzing a wide class of association policies exploiting
various information on the network topology, e.g. received pilot powers and
fading values. This model firstly paves the way for tailoring and designing an
optimal association scheme to maximize any performance metric of interest (e.g.
the probability of coverage) subject to the information known about the
network. In this class of optimal association, we prove a result that the
performance improves as the information known about the network increases.
Secondly, this model is used to quantify the performance of any arbitrary
association policy and not just the optimal association policy. We propose a
simple policy called the Max-Ratio which is not-parametric, i.e. it dispenses
with the statistical knowledge of base station deployments in stochastic
geometry models. We also prove that this simple policy is optimal in a certain
limiting regime of the wireless environment. Through simulations, we provide
insights into (i) a practical compromise between performance gain and cost of
estimating information and; (ii) the selection of association schemes under
environments with different propagation models, i.e. path-loss exponents.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure