Dynamic resource allocation for uplink contention channels in WiMAX

The recently developed WiMAX wireless network standard was designed to be flexible to allow operators to optimize their networks for their specific environment and offered services. This complexity comes at a price in that several settable parameters must be fine-tuned. These can be statically set based on expected traffic loads and mixes. However, because of the rapid introduction of new applications it is preferable to use dynamic algorithms that adjust these parameters based on real-time data. In this paper we focus on one such scenario. In the uplink of WiMAX, users sometimes use a slotted shared channel to communicate information to the Access Network. The set of contention slots is divided into groups and each group is used on a shared basis. Each group is assigned to a particular type of transmission (ranging, bandwidth request etc.) The allocation of contention slots and codes to groups is the focus of this paper.