We consider the broadcast relay channel (BRC), where a single source
transmits to multiple destinations with the help of a relay, in the limit of a
large bandwidth. We address the problem of optimal relay positioning and power
allocations at source and relay, to maximize the multicast rate from source to
all destinations. To solve such a network planning problem, we develop a
three-faceted approach based on an underlying information theoretic model,
computational geometric aspects, and network optimization tools. Firstly,
assuming superposition coding and frequency division between the source and the
relay, the information theoretic framework yields a hypergraph model of the
wideband BRC, which captures the dependency of achievable rate-tuples on the
network topology. As the relay position varies, so does the set of hyperarcs
constituting the hypergraph, rendering the combinatorial nature of optimization
problem. We show that the convex hull C of all nodes in the 2-D plane can be
divided into disjoint regions corresponding to distinct hyperarcs sets. These
sets are obtained by superimposing all k-th order Voronoi tessellation of C. We
propose an easy and efficient algorithm to compute all hyperarc sets, and prove
they are polynomially bounded. Using the switched hypergraph approach, we model
the original problem as a continuous yet non-convex network optimization
program. Ultimately, availing on the techniques of geometric programming and
p-norm surrogate approximation, we derive a good convex approximation. We
provide a detailed characterization of the problem for collinearly located
destinations, and then give a generalization for arbitrarily located
destinations. Finally, we show strong gains for the optimal relay positioning
compared to seemingly interesting positions.Comment: In Proceedings of INFOCOM 201
