Exploiting Mobility in Proportional Fair Cellular Scheduling: Measurements and Algorithms

—Proportional Fair (PF) scheduling algorithms are the de-facto standard in cellular networks. They exploit the users’ channel state diversity (induced by fast-fading), and are optimal for stationary channel state distributions and an infinite time-horizon. However, mobile users experience a non-stationary channel, due to slow-fading (on the order of seconds), and are associated with basestations for short periods. Hence, we develop the Predictive Finite-horizon PF Scheduling ((PF)2 S) Framework that exploits mobility. We present extensive channel measurement results from a 3G network and characterize mobility-induced channel state trends. We show that a user’s channel state is highly reproducible and leverage that to develop a data rate prediction mechanism. We then present a few channel allocation estimation algorithms that rely on the prediction mechanism. Our trace-based simulations consider instances of the PF2 S Framework composed of combinations of prediction and channel a...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2016
• Where: TON
• Authors: Robert Margolies, Ashwin Sridharan, Vaneet Aggarwal, Rittwik Jana, N. K. Shankaranarayanan, Vinay A. Vaishampayan, Gil Zussman
• Keywords: TON 2016