Hybrid RF/VLC Network Spectrum Allocation Scheme Using Bargaining Solutions

Visible light communication (VLC) is becoming a promising technology of wireless communications, and the co-deployment of radio frequency (RF) and VLC technologies has been investigated in indoor environments to achieve high data rate communications. To explore the benefits of employing both technologies, it is of considerable significance to design intelligent RF/VLC resource management algorithms. In this study, we investigate a new heterogeneous network spectrum allocation scheme based on the cooperative bargaining theory. According to the fundamental concepts of asymmetric Nash, Kalai-Smorodinsky and egalitarian bargaining solutions, we can leverage a mutual consensus to provide a fair-efficient solution. Furthermore, four different allocation rules are adopted to estimate the asymmetry of network agents. Using our step-by-step interactive bargaining method, disproportionate agents are coordinated to effectively share the RF and VLC spectrum resources. It is an essential approach to find the relevant trade-off between conflicting requirements while dynamically responding the hybrid RF/VLC system environment. Numerical simulation results are conducted to corroborate the superiority in performance of the proposed scheme as compared to that obtained with existing state-of-the-art RF/VLC spectrum allocation algorithms.