A Stochastic Approximation Approach to the Power-Control Problem

This paper proposes and analyzes a new distributed power-control algorithm based on the theory of stochastic approximation. The power-control problem is first converted into a stochastic approximation problem in which the zero point of a specific function is determined. A distributed power-control algorithm is then derived and its convergence properties are analyzed using standard techniques. In the distributed algorithm, each user iteratively updates its power level by using estimates of the inverse of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) of its channel. No knowledge of the channel gains or state information of other users is required. Moreover, the algorithm is robust in the sense that it can handle errors in the bit-error rate estimates, and hence, can be used in practical scenarios. Convergence of the algorithm is analyzed in the almost-sure sense