Cross-Layer Resource Allocation Model for Cellular-Relaying Network Performance Evaluation

The enhancement of cellular networks with relaying technologies is expected to bring significant technoeconomic benefits at the expense of more complex resource allocation. Suitable models for solving network dimensioning problems in cellular-relaying networks must handle radio resource allocation among hundreds of links and tackle interactions between networking layers. For this purpose, we propose a novel cross-layer resource allocation model based on average interference and ideal rate adaptation for the physical layer (PHY), time shares for the medium access layer, and fluid flows for the transport and network layers. We formulate a centralized social welfare maximization problem. When the routes are selected with an a priori algorithm, we show that the resource allocation problem admits an equivalent convex formulation. We show a numerical example for how to use the proposed framework for configuring the backhaul link in a practical relaying network. The overall problem of selecting routes and allocating time shares and link rates is nonconvex. We propose an iterative suboptimal algorithm to solve the problem based on a novel approximation of PHY. We state and prove several convergence properties of the algorithm and show that it typically outperforms routing based on signal-to-noise ratio only.