Selective Fair Scheduling over Fading Channels

Imposing fairness in resource allocation incurs a loss of system throughput, known as the Price of Fairness ($PoF$). In wireless scheduling, $PoF$ increases when serving users with very poor channel quality because the scheduler wastes resources trying to be fair. This paper proposes a novel resource allocation framework to rigorously address this issue. We introduce selective fairness: being fair only to selected users, and improving $PoF$ by momentarily blocking the rest. We study the associated admission control problem of finding the user selection that minimizes $PoF$ subject to selective fairness, and show that this combinatorial problem can be solved efficiently if the feasibility set satisfies a condition; in our model it suffices that the wireless channels are stochastically dominated. Exploiting selective fairness, we design a stochastic framework where we minimize $PoF$ subject to an SLA, which ensures that an ergodic subscriber is served frequently enough. In this context, we propose an online policy that combines the drift-plus-penalty technique with Gradient-Based Scheduling experts, and we prove it achieves the optimal $PoF$. Simulations show that our intelligent blocking outperforms by 40$\%$ in throughput previous approaches which satisfy the SLA by blocking low-SNR users

Analysis of packet scheduling for UMTS EUL - design decisions and performance evaluation

The UMTS Enhanced Uplink (EUL) provides higher capacity, increased data rates and smaller latency on the communication link from users towards the network. In this paper we present a performance comparison of three distinct EUL scheduling schemes (one-by-one, partial parallel and full parallel) taking into account both the packet level characteristics and the flow level dynamics due to the (random) user behaviour.\ud Using a very efficient hybrid analytical and simulation approach we analyse the three schemes with respect to performance measures such as mean file transfer time and fairness. In UMTS, a significant part of the system capacity will be used to support non-elastic voice traffic. Hence, part of our investigation is dedicated to the effects that the volume of voice traffic has on the performance of the elastic traffic supported by the EUL. Finally, we evaluate the impact that implementation specifics of a full parallel scheduler has on these measures.\ud \ud Our main conclusion is that our partial parallel scheduler, which is a hybrid between the one-by-one and full parallel, outperforms the other two schedulers in terms of mean flow transfer time, and is less sensitive to volume and nature of voice traffic. However, under certain circumstances, the partial parallel scheduler exhibits a somewhat lower fairness than the alternatives

Maximally Flexible Assignment of Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor Codes for Multi-Rate Traffic

In universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) systems, orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes are used to support different transmission rates for different users. In this paper, we first define the flexibility index to measure the capability of an assignable code set in supporting multirate traffic classes. Based on this index, two single-code assignment schemes, nonrearrangeable and rearrangeable compact assignments, are proposed. Both schemes can offer maximal flexibility for the resulting code tree after each code assignment. We then present an analytical model and derive the call blocking probability, system throughput and fairness index. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed schemes are efficient, stable and fair

Hierarchical Beamforming: Resource Allocation, Fairness and Flow Level Performance

We consider hierarchical beamforming in wireless networks. For a given population of flows, we propose computationally efficient algorithms for fair rate allocation including proportional fairness and max-min fairness. We next propose closed-form formulas for flow level performance, for both elastic (with either proportional fairness and max-min fairness) and streaming traffic. We further assess the performance of hierarchical beamforming using numerical experiments. Since the proposed solutions have low complexity compared to conventional beamforming, our work suggests that hierarchical beamforming is a promising candidate for the implementation of beamforming in future cellular networks.Comment: 34 page

Efficiency of Fairness in Voting Systems

Fair representation of voters in a committee representing different voters’ groups is being broadly discussed during last few years. Assuming we know what the fair representation is, there exists a problem of optimal quota: given a “fair” distribution of voting weights, how to set up voting rule (quota) in such a way that distribution of relative a priori voting power is as close as possible to distribution of relative voting weights. Together with optimal quota problem a problem of trade-off between fairness and efficiency (ability of a voting body to change status quo) is formalized by a fairness-efficiency matrix.Committee system, efficiency, fairness, fairness-efficiency matrix, indirect voting power, optimal quota, power indices, voting system

Elastic calls in an integrated services network: the greater the call size variability the better the QoS

We study a telecommunications network integrating prioritized stream calls and delay tolerant elastic calls that are served with the remaining (varying) service capacity according to a processor sharing discipline. The remarkable observation is presented and analytically supported that the expected elastic call holding time is decreasing in the variability of the elastic call size distribution. As a consequence, network planning guidelines or admission control schemes that are developed based on deterministic or lightly variable elastic call sizes are likely to be conservative and inefficient, given the commonly acknowledged property of e.g.\ \textsc{www}\ documents to be heavy tailed. Application areas of the model and results include fixed \textsc{ip} or \textsc{atm} networks and mobile cellular \textsc{gsm}/\textsc{gprs} and \textsc{umts} networks. \u

Final report on the evaluation of RRM/CRRM algorithms

Deliverable public del projecte EVERESTThis deliverable provides a definition and a complete evaluation of the RRM/CRRM algorithms selected in D11 and D15, and evolved and refined on an iterative process. The evaluation will be carried out by means of simulations using the simulators provided at D07, and D14.Preprin