Two-cell utility-based resource allocation for a CDMA voice service

Resource allocation is studied for the forward link of a two-cell wireless direct sequence (DS)-code division multiple access (CDMA) network. A voice service is assumed, for which system resources are transmitted power and codes. Each user has a utility function that measures the user's willingness to pay as a function of the received quality of service (QoS). Our objective is to maximize the total utility over all active users. We characterize the optimal power distribution across the two cells, and show that in general, the cells must coordinate, or exchange information, to achieve the maximum utility. The optimal allocation can be achieved by a pricing scheme, in which each base station announces a price for each resource, and each user responds by buying an amount of resources that maximizes the user's surplus (utility minus cost).