Game Theoretic Approach to Distributed Bandwidth Allocation in OFDMA‐Based Self‐Organizing Femtocell Networks

A distributed bandwidth allocation scheme for OFDMA‐based femtocell network is developed using non‐cooperative game theory. It allows different femtocells to adjust to their transmission bandwidth (OFDM subchannels or resource blocks) without explicitly exchanging information with each other. The system converges to a stable solution (unique Nash equilibrium) under a wide range of conditions, and the network self‐optimizes based on the real‐time situation. The algorithm can be implemented as a fully distributed scheme, a hybrid scheme or a centralized scheme. It can be deployed in heterogeneous networks with co‐deployed macro/pico/femtocells to manage intracarrier interference, and enables real‐time network tuning. Simulations are used to study the behaviour of the algorithm. It can be applied to 3GPP LTE or WiMAX femtocell and heterogeneous networks.