Throughput maximization for LTE uplink via resource allocation

In this paper, a novel resource allocation method is proposed for a multiuser MIMO SC-FDMA communication system. The proposed method, well-suited for the uplink scenario of the LTE Advanced standard, allocates the frequency spectrum among its users with the goal of maximizing the system´s overall throughput. To achieve this goal, an analytical expression of the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), at the output of the receiver´s frequency domain equalizer, is first obtained for each user as a function of the channel and the allocated bandwidth. Following, a mapping between SINR ranges and channel quality indeces is used to determine the choice of modulation and code rate for each layer of each user. These two parameters, together with the number of allocated resource blocks per user, are used to determine the throughput of each user. The obtained throughputs are then used, together with a set of constraints on possible allocations, as an input for a set partitioning problem. It is shown, by means of simulations, that the proposed method results in significant gains in performance when compared to random or best-user resource allocation methods.