User Association and Channel Allocation in 5G Mobile Asymmetric Multi-band Heterogeneous Networks

TL;DR

This paper proposes an efficient algorithm for user association and channel allocation in multi-band 5G heterogeneous networks, addressing the challenges posed by different propagation characteristics and hardware configurations of mmWave and microwave base stations.

Contribution

It formulates the complex access strategy problem as an intractable nonlinear program and develops a decoupled, algorithmic solution based on matching and clustering techniques.

Findings

The proposed algorithm improves overall data rate.

It increases the number of satisfied users.

It outperforms existing methods in simulations.

Abstract

With the proliferation of mobile terminals and the continuous upgrading of services, 4G LTE networks are showing signs of weakness. To enhance the capacity of wireless networks, millimeter waves are introduced to drive the evolution of networks towards multi-band 5G heterogeneous networks. The distinct propagation characteristics of mmWaves and microwaves, as well as the vastly different hardware configurations of heterogeneous base stations, make traditional access strategies no longer effective. Therefore, to narrowing the gap between theory and practice, we investigate the access strategy in multi-band 5G heterogeneous networks, taking into account the characteristics of mobile users, asynchronous switching between uplink and downlink of pico base stations, asymmetric service requirements, and user communication continuity. We formulate the problem as integer nonlinear programming and prove its intractability. Thereby, we decouple it into three subproblems: user association, switch point selection, and subchannel allocation, and design an algorithm based on optimal matching and spectral clustering to solve it efficiently. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the comparison methods in terms of overall data rate, effective data rate, and number of satisfied users.