Asynchronous resource allocation in distributed heterogeneous networks

Stochastic network optimization problems entail finding resource allocation policies that are optimum on an average but must be designed in an online fashion. Such problems are ubiquitous in communication networks, where resources such as energy and bandwidth are divided among nodes to satisfy certain long-term objectives. This paper proposes an asynchronous incremental dual decent resource allocation algorithm that utilizes delayed stochastic gradients for carrying out its updates. It is shown that with constant step size, the proposed resource allocation policy is asymptotically near-optimal. An application involving multi-cell coordinated beamforming is detailed, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed algorithm.