Tri-Level Stackelberg Game for Resource Allocation in Radio Access Network Slicing

In this paper, we consider a three-level hierarchical structure for resource allocation in the radio access network (RAN) slicing. The infrastructure provider (InP) allocates the RAN slices to the mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), and the MVNOs then allocate the radio resources to the users. It is challenging for the InP to determine resource allocation strategy efficiently due to the selfish strategic responses of both the MVNOs and the users. To handle this issue, we propose a tri-level Stackelberg game to jointly solve the frequency and power allocation and payment negotiation problem among the three levels. Simulation results verify a general market principle that the more the MVNOs focus on revenue collecting, the lower payoff the InP and the users will obtain.