Risk-Aware Resource Control with Flexible 5G Access Technology Interfaces

Abstract

The evolution of communication systems in the direction of heterogeneity and mass connectivity through the deployment of 5G compatible technologies, is posing significant challenges to Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs)towards enhancing spectral efficiency and ensuring steady and uninterrupted operation. In this paper, we introduce a holistic framework that dynamically combines multiple access technologies while accounting for the users' Quality of Service (QoS)prerequisites and risk preferences. In emerging future wireless networks with flexible access technology interfaces, both bands operating over Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA)become simultaneously available to the users as potential options of communications and usage. OFDMA technology, due to organizing the available spectrum into distinct resource blocks, provides free of interference but of relatively limited bandwidth service to the users, whereas NOMA has the potential to provide superior spectral capacity by accommodating all users in a single carrier. However, the latter comes at the expense of resource fragility and potential failure from over-exploitation, due to its fully shared nature and excessive competition among users. Considering users' diverse behavioral patterns when probabilistic uncertainty of the shared system's resources is assumed, we model the resource control problem under the principles of Prospect Theory, and solve it as a Fragile Common Pool of Resources (CPR)game converging to a unique Pure Nash Equilibrium (PNE)point. Decentralization of users' decisions under the proposed pragmatic approach enhances the stability and network's performance, which are confirmed by a series of comprehensive numerical results.