Resource and Bandwidth Allocation in Hybrid Wireless Mobile Networks
Abstract
In the lead up to the implementation of 802.16 and 4G wireless networks,
there have been many proposals for addition of multi-hop MANET zones or relay
stations in order to cut the cost of building a new backbone infrastructure from the
ground up. These types of Hybrid Wireless Networks will certainly be a part of
wireless network architecture in the future, and as such, simple problems such as
resource allocation must be explored to maximize their potential. This study
explores the resource allocation problem in three distinct ways. First, this study
highlights two existing backbone architectures: max-coverage and max-resource,
and how hybridization will affect bandwidth allocation, with special emphasis on
OFDM-TMA wireless networks. Secondly, because of the different goals of these
types of networks, the addition of relay stations or MANET zones will affect
resource availability differently, and I will show how the addition of relay stations
impacts the backbone network. Finally, I will discuss specific allocation algorithms
and policies such as top-down, bottom-up, and auction-based allocation, and how
each kind of allocation will maximize the revenue of both the backbone network as
well as the mobile subscribers while maintaining a minimum Quality of Service (or
fairness). Each of these approaches has merit in different hybrid wireless systems,
and I will summarize the benefits of each in a study of a network system with a
combination of the elements discussed in the previous chapters.