Optimized BS assignment and resource allocation in cooperative OFDM networks

Cooperative transmission (CT) and orthogonal frequency division multiple (OFDM) are promising technologies for extending coverage and increasing throughput in broadband wireless access (BWA) networks. Therefore, we propose a novel BWA network architecture, that can set up inter-cell collaboration using physical layer cooperative transmissions among distributed wired access networks with a powerful coordination capability at the central office. However, conventional base station (BS) assignment and resource allocation schemes cannot be used directly because a user can be serviced by more than one BS with cooperative transmission technology. This study proposes a novel framework of BS assignment and resource allocation in a cooperative OFDM network. We provide three approaches of resource allocation for minimizing bandwidth usage, minimizing transmission power consumption, and balancing resource costs respectively. An optimized resource allocation scheme can be implemented by flexibly choosing one of these approaches based on network load. The simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed mathematical formulations and linearization approach of our scheme. The performance benefit of CT technology on the bandwidth saving is demonstrated by comparing the new BS assignment and resource allocation scheme with conventional non-cooperative transmission.