DMH-HARQ: Reliable and Open Latency-Constrained Wireless Transport Network

TL;DR

This paper introduces DMH-HARQ, a dynamic multi-hop hybrid ARQ scheme for 6G wireless networks that enhances reliability and efficiency in latency-constrained, multi-hop transport scenarios using an optimal dynamic programming approach.

Contribution

It proposes a novel dynamic multi-hop HARQ strategy with an efficient DP algorithm, improving end-to-end reliability over static and conventional ARQ methods in multi-hop wireless networks.

Findings

Outperforms conventional listening-based cooperative ARQ.

Superior to static HARQ strategies in reliability.

Effective for long-distance, multi-hop transport networks.

Abstract

The extreme requirements for high reliability and low latency in the upcoming Sixth Generation (6G) wireless networks are challenging the design of multi-hop wireless transport networks. Inspired by the advent of the virtualization concept in the wireless networks design and openness paradigm as fostered by the Open-Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Alliance, we target a revolutionary resource allocation scheme to improve the overall transmission efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the problem of automatic repeat request (ARQ) in multi-hop decode-and-forward (DF) relaying in the finite blocklength (FBL) regime, and propose a dynamic scheme of multi-hop hybrid ARQ (HARQ), which maximizes the end-to-end (E2E) communication reliability in the wireless transport network. We also propose an integer dynamic programming (DP) algorithm to efficiently solve the optimal Dynamic Multi-Hop HARQ (DMH-HARQ) strategy. Constrained within a certain time frame to accomplish E2E transmission, our proposed approach is proven to outperform the conventional listening-based cooperative ARQ, as well as any static HARQ strategy, regarding the E2E reliability. It is applicable without dependence on special delay constraint, and is particularly competitive for long-distance transport network with many hops.