Radio resource allocation for uplink sparse code multiple access (SCMA) networks using matching game

In this paper, we study the codebook-based resource allocation problem for an uplink sparse code multiple access (SCMA) network. The base station (BS) assigns to each user a set of subcarriers corresponding to a specific codebook, and each user performs power control over multiple subcarriers. We aim to optimize the subcarrier assignment and power allocation to maximize the total sum-rate. To solve the above problem, we formulate it as a many-to-many two-sided matching problem with externalities. A novel swap-matching algorithm is then proposed in which the users and the subcarriers are considered as two sets of players, and every two users can cooperate to swap their matches so as to improve each other's profits. The algorithm converges to a pair-wise stable matching after a limited number of iterations. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm greatly outperforms the orthogonal multiple access scheme and a random allocation scheme.