Throughput fairness and efficiency of link adaptation techniques in wireless networks

• Published in: IET communications Vol. 3; no. 7; pp. 1227 - 1238
• Main Authors: Ahmed, M.H., Yanikomeroglu, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stevenage Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.07.2009; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adaptation; Aggregates; Applied sciences; Coding, codes; Computational efficiency; Constraints; Exact sciences and technology; Information, signal and communications theory; Links; Maximum power; Modulation, demodulation; Operation, maintenance, reliability; Optimization; Polycarbonates; Signal and communications theory; Systems, networks and services of telecommunications; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Transmission and modulation (techniques and equipments); Performance evaluation; Unconstrained optimization; Steepest descent method; Wireless telecommunication; Information rate; Equity; Information transmission; Penalty method; Adaptive coding; Constrained optimization; Degradation; Power control; Modulation; Wireless network; Resource management; Service quality
• ISSN: 1751-8628; 1751-8636
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-com.2008.0234

The authors propose and analyse three link adaptation techniques for fairness enhancement. In the first technique, aggregate throughput maximisation with fairness constraint, the authors formulate the fairness problem as a constrained optimisation problem; they try to maximise the aggregate throughput subject to the throughput fairness constraint. To solve the problem, the authors convert the constrained optimisation problem to an unconstrained optimisation one using the penalty method. The second technique, individual throughput balancing, tries to equalise individual throughput by using a higher throughput level for disadvantaged users and using a lower throughput level for advantaged users. Finally, the third technique, adaptive virtual maximum power constraint, uses virtual maximum power cap. The three proposed techniques are then compared with the three basic link adaptation techniques (PC, ACM, and joint PC and ACM). The three proposed techniques are shown to be able to enhance the fairness with different degrees and with different levels of aggregate throughput degradation.