Downlink scheduling optimization in CDMA networks

The problem of allocating radio resources in the downlink of a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network is studied. The modulation and coding schemes, numbers of multicodes, and transmit powers used for all mobile stations (MS) are jointly chosen so as to maximize the total transmission bit rate, subject to certain constraints. Based on the discrete and nonlinear nature of the proposed model, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming optimization problem is formulated. It is shown that the optimal allocation generally involves simultaneous transmissions to several MS. A scheduler which uses knowledge of MS traffic loads is also proposed and shown to yield a significant improvement in throughput.