Matching Game Based Virtualization in Shared LTE-A Networks

Wireless network virtualization enables efficient network sharing in Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) networks. For the accommodation of ever-increasing user demands, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) can lease and operate virtual resources in network infrastructure that belongs to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). The coexistence of multiple MVNOs that serve users with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and spatial distribution in an LTE-A cell further complicates the arising resource allocation problem. Moreover, the MVNOs aim to satisfy the QoS demands for the maximum possible number of users with the minimum possible cost. This multifaceted context renders centralized optimization approaches for virtual resource allocation in shared LTE-A networks unsuitable. As an alternative, the framework of matching theory, thanks to its distributed nature, can achieve a proper allocation through a stable matching between resources and MVNOs. In this context, we introduce a matching-theoretic formulation for the virtual resource allocation problem and propose a distributed algorithm that properly matches the MVNOs with the available resources. Our simulation results show that the proposed algorithm reaches a stable matching that satisfies the QoS demands for more users in comparison with other approaches.