Distributed Spectrum Allocation of Delay-Sensitive Users over Multi-User Multi-Carrier Networks

In this paper, we study the distributed spectrum allocation for autonomous users transmitting delay-sensitive information over a wireless multi-carrier network. Because there is no central moderator in the network, we propose a distributed information exchange protocol for users to exchange information, which considers their heterogeneous traffic and priorities. Based on this information exchange, we propose different prediction models that enable users to dynamically select the optimal channels for transmission. We consider two types of users - myopic and foresighted users. A myopic user selects channels passively based on the previous actions of other users, while a foresighted user applies the prediction models to select the channels in a foresighted manner. Depending on the composition of myopic users and foresighted users in the network, we define two operation modes - the homogeneous mode and the leader-follower mode. The performance of different prediction models is analyzed in each mode. Based on this analysis, we show that in the leader-follower mode, the most sophisticated model leads to the best performance. Nevertheless, in the homogeneous mode, the simplest prediction model leads to better performance. The analysis and simulation results show that in a competitive network, users should avoid adopting highly sophisticated models because this will prevent them from accurately learning each other´s channel selection behavior. The proposed models and formulation can be extended to other multi-channel communications scenarios.