An optimization framework for radio resource management based utility vs. price tradeoff in WCDMA systems

In this paper we investigate radio resource management strategies for multimedia networks driven by economic aspects such as users' utility and service pricing. To this end, we discuss a framework in which the impact of both QoS and pricing is accounted for in the users' acceptance rate of the service. The model is general enough to be adapted to different situations and optimization goals. Thus, we discuss possible objectives for the network management under the constraints of meeting quality of service requirements, by satisfying at the same time technical conditions of feasibility. We employ utility functions, in order to account for the additional characteristic represented by the traffic elasticity, and consider the effect of price to have a realistic characterization of economic quantities. The resulting optimization problem is then discussed and analyzed, to derive general insight and identify possibilities for enhancement.