Fair Virtualization of 802.11 Networks

We consider virtualization of network capacity in 802.11 WLANs and mesh networks. We show that allocating total airtime slices to ISPs is analogous to allocating a fraction of available time-slots in TDMA. We establish that the max-min fair flow rate allocation within an ISP airtime slice can be characterized independently of the rate allocation policy employed in other slices. Building on these observations, we present a lightweight, distributed algorithm for allocating airtime slices among ISP and max-min fair flow rates within each slice.