Finite-Horizon Throughput Region for Wireless Multi-User Interference Channels

TL;DR

This paper investigates the finite-horizon throughput region in wireless interference channels, introducing the rate margin metric and an efficient algorithm to determine achievable rates over a finite time horizon.

Contribution

It characterizes the finite-horizon throughput region, introduces the rate margin metric, and develops an algorithm for rate-achieving policy determination.

Findings

Finite-horizon throughput region is generally non-convex.

Rate margin effectively determines achievability of rate-tuples.

An efficient algorithm for rate-achieving policy is proposed.

Abstract

This paper studies a wireless network consisting of multiple transmitter-receiver pairs where interference is treated as noise. Previously, the throughput region of such networks was characterized for either one time slot or an infinite time horizon. We aim to fill the gap by investigating the throughput region for transmissions over a finite time horizon. Unlike the infinite-horizon throughput region, which is simply the convex hull of the throughput region of one time slot, the finite-horizon throughput region is generally non-convex. Instead of directly characterizing all achievable rate-tuples in the finite-horizon throughput region, we propose a metric termed the rate margin, which not only determines whether any given rate-tuple is within the throughput region (i.e., achievable or unachievable), but also tells the amount of scaling that can be done to the given achievable (unachievable) rate-tuple such that the resulting rate-tuple is still within (brought back into) the throughput region. Furthermore, we derive an efficient algorithm to find the rate-achieving policy for any given rate-tuple in the finite-horizon throughput region.