Ruin Theory for Dynamic Spectrum Allocation in LTE-U Networks

LTE in the unlicensed band (LTE-U) is a promising solution to overcome the scarcity of the wireless spectrum. However, to reap the benefits of LTE-U, it is essential to maintain its effective coexistence with WiFi systems. Such a coexistence, hence, constitutes a major challenge for LTE-U deployment. In this letter, the problem of unlicensed spectrum sharing among WiFi and LTE-U systems is studied. In particular, a fair time-sharing model based on the ruin theory is proposed to share redundant spectral resources from the unlicensed band with LTE-U without jeopardizing the performance of the WiFi system. Fairness among both WiFi and LTE-U is maintained by applying the concept of the probability of ruin. In particular, the probability of ruin is used to perform efficient duty-cycle allocation in LTE-U, so as to provide fairness to the WiFi system and to maintain certain the WiFi performance. Simulation results show that the proposed ruin-based algorithm provides better fairness to the WiFi system as compared to equal duty-cycle sharing among WiFi and LTE-U.