Collaborative Research: CCSS: D2D Wireless Networks: An Interference Nightmare or Resource Allocation Auspice

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Mobile data traffic has dramatically increased in recent years with the emergence of smart devices. Device-to-Device (D2D) communications are expected to become a key feature supported by next generation cellular networks with advantages of: 1) extended coverage; 2) offloading in cellular networks; 3) improved energy efficiency; 4) enhanced throughput and spectrum efficiency; and 5) creation of new services. Interference management is of key importance for deployment of D2D networks. Although D2D communications bring improvement in spectral efficiency and system capacity, it also causes interference to the cellular network as a result of spectrum sharing. Thus, efficient resource allocation and interference coordination must be addressed to guarantee a target performance level of the cellular communications. This project constructs a distributed and cross-layer framework to turn the interference challenges into dynamic resource allocation auspice. The fundamental results to be obtained from this project will enable transformative techniques that can lead to improved performance of the next generation wireless networks. The results will be publicly available through publications and open source software release. The research results will be integrated into the existing combined education and research effort. Furthermore, the education component will equip both undergraduate and graduate students with the skills needed to contribute to the field of wireless networking. Outreach activities will be directed to high school students and increase the participation of women and minority in science and engineering. As such, the broader impact resulting from the proposed activities is also reflected through the integration of research and education for the training of future wireless workforce. The proposed activities are primarily targeted at constructing the new D2D networks, and then uncovering the design challenges, tradeoffs, and requirements for cross layer resource allocation approaches. Major intellectual merits in our proposed research thrusts are: 1) Resource Allocation with Underlay D2D Communication in Cellular Networks: Innovative resource allocation schemes are proposed to maximize the overall network throughput while ensuring quality-of-service. The proposed schemes consist of techniques, such as admission control, power control, and matching potential D2D partners, and then conduct joint cross-layer optimization for both D2D users and cellular users. 2) Game Theoretical Distributed Scheme: A variety of game theory approaches, such as reverse iterative combinatorial auction and Stackelberg game, are adopted for dynamic opportunistic resource allocation. Furthermore, the equilibrium of the game is investigated, and the approaches are designed for the game equilibria to be close-optimal compared to the optimal solutions. 3) Joint Consideration with Femtocell: Since femtocell/smallcell networking and D2D networking are two major research directions pushed by cellular service providers, open access is designed for femtocell together with D2D LTE-Advanced networks in order to optimize network connectivity, coverage, system performance, and balance. 4) Context Aware Network: a context aware framework is optimized for resource management in D2D networks, which is aligned with LTE-direct. Ultimately, the proposed interdisciplinary and cross layer framework will provide a blueprint towards building new perspectives on future wireless network design.