Feedback-Free Resource Scheduling for Flexible Multi-BS Cooperation in FD-RAN

TL;DR

This paper proposes a feedback-free, flexible resource scheduling approach for multi-base station cooperation in FD-RAN, improving efficiency and energy use without relying on traditional feedback mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces novel feedback-free scheduling algorithms for FD-RAN that adapt to network load conditions, enhancing resource utilization and energy efficiency.

Findings

Algorithms outperform existing methods in simulations

Proposed methods reduce energy consumption

Flexible cooperation is practically feasible

Abstract

Flexible cooperation among base stations (BSs) is critical to improve resource utilization efficiency and meet personalized user demands. However, its practical implementation is hindered by the current radio access network (RAN), which relies on the coupling of uplink and downlink transmissions and channel state information feedback with inherent issues such as overheads and delays. To overcome these limitations, we consider the fully-decoupled RAN (FD-RAN), in which uplink and downlink functionalities are independent, and feedback-free MIMO transmission is adopted at the physical layer. To further deliver flexible cooperation in FD-RAN, we study feedback-free downlink multi-BS resource scheduling under the practical scheduling process. The problem is considered based on network load conditions. In heavy-load states where it is impossible for all user demands to be met, an optimal greedy algorithm is proposed, maximizing the weighted sum of user demand satisfaction rates. In light-load states where at least one solution exists to satisfy all user demands, an optimal two-stage resource allocation algorithm is designed to further minimize network energy consumption by leveraging the flexibility of cooperation. Extensive simulations validate the superiority of proposed algorithms in performance and running time, and highlight the potential for realizing flexible cooperation in practice.