Block-Level Utility Maximization for NOMA-Based Layered Broadcasting

Layered transmission is studied in this paper to accommodate various device capabilities and channel conditions. The problem of efficiently broadcasting a common set of layer-encoded data from a single base station to multiple users over quasi-static fading channels is examined. Considering the maximum tolerable delay, a block-level utility is defined in terms of average probability of successful reception of each layer. Based on non-orthogonal multiple access scheme, we propose a complete algorithm to jointly optimize power allocation and transmission rates. By utilizing the idea of opportunistic scheduling, we first derive the success probability of one single layer in homogeneous scenarios, then extend the results to heterogeneous scenarios where users are subject to different channel statistics. The multi-layer optimization is realized by iteratively repeating the single-layer operations. Starting from the base layer, we first choose an optimal subset of users as the corresponding target group, then apply the single-layer allocation process until no power resources are left. Computer simulation and discussion confirm that our method maximizes the block-level utility at the same time balances the tradeoff between multiuser diversity gain and multicast gain.