How can you fairly allocate resources in a cellular network?

1 What is resource allocation?

Resource allocation is the process of assigning and managing the available resources of a cellular network to meet the needs and preferences of the users and the network operators. Resource allocation aims to optimize the network performance by maximizing the utilization of the resources and minimizing the wastage and interference. Resource allocation also tries to balance the conflicting goals of different users and network operators, such as throughput, quality of service, cost, and fairness.

2 Why is fairness important?

Fairness is a desirable property of resource allocation that ensures that every user or device in the network receives a reasonable share of the resources according to some criteria. Fairness can improve the user satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue for the network operators, as well as the social welfare and efficiency of the network. Fairness can also prevent the degradation of the network performance due to the selfish or malicious behavior of some users or devices that may try to exploit or hog the resources.

3 How to measure fairness?

Fairness is a subjective and context-dependent concept that can have varying meanings and implications for different scenarios and stakeholders; thus, there is no universal or absolute definition or metric of fairness for resource allocation. Nevertheless, some common fairness metrics widely used in cellular networks are proportional fairness, max-min fairness, and Jain's index. Proportional fairness allocates resources to maximize the total logarithmic utility of the users, meaning each user receives a share of the resources proportional to their average demand or rate. On the other hand, max-min fairness allocates resources to maximize the minimum share of the resources among the users, giving each user at least a minimum guaranteed amount of resources. Finally, Jain's index measures the degree of fairness by calculating the ratio of the square of the sum of the shares of the users to the product of the number of users and the sum of the squares of the shares of the users. This metric ranges from 0 to 1, where 1 indicates perfect fairness and 0 indicates perfect unfairness.

4 How to achieve fairness?

Fairness can be achieved by applying methods and algorithms for resource allocation that take into account fairness criteria and constraints. Scheduling allocates resources to users or devices based on their priority, demand, or channel quality, using rules like round-robin, weighted fair queuing, proportional fair scheduling, or max-min fair scheduling. Power control allocates resources by adjusting transmit power levels through fixed power, open-loop power control, closed-loop power control, or game-theoretic power control. Resource partitioning divides resources into different subsets or pools with techniques like frequency division, time division, code division, or spatial division. All of these methods and algorithms help ensure that resource allocation is fair.

5 How to evaluate fairness?

Fairness can be evaluated by comparing the actual resource allocation with the desired or optimal resource allocation, using different evaluation methods or tools, such as simulation, analysis, or measurement. Simulation evaluates fairness by modeling and simulating the resource allocation scenarios and outcomes with software such as MATLAB, NS-3, OMNeT++, or OPNET. Analysis assesses fairness by deriving and solving the mathematical models and equations of the resource allocation problems and solutions with techniques such as optimization, game theory, or queueing theory. Measurement evaluates fairness by collecting and processing the real-world data and statistics of the resource allocation performance and behavior with devices or tools such as spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, or software-defined radios.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?