Non-Cooperative Resource Allocation in Relay-Assisted MIMO MAC Systems with Partial CSI: A Game-Theoretic Approach

In this work the problem of non-cooperative resource optimization in the uplink of a relay-assisted MIMO MAC system with partial CSI at the transmitter is addressed. Each multiple access user pursues individual rate maximization, whereas the relay designs its amplify-and-forward matrix in order to optimize the system´s sum-rate. From a game-theoretic perspective, the resource allocation process is modeled as a two-level Stackelberg game, with the relay as the leader, and the multiple access users as followers. For any choice of the relay matrix the individual rate maximizing transmit covariance matrices are derived, and then optimum relay matrix design is carried out. Finally, numerical results are provided to give insights on the proposed algorithms.