On finding the right balance between fairness and efficiency in WiMAX scheduling through analytical modeling

In this paper, we explore a way to find the right scheduling policy for WiMAX networks, that achieves the best compromise between an efficient use of the resource and a relative fairness among users. This problem is of primary importance as no scheduling policy has been recommended in the WiMAX standard. To do so, we develop an extension of our previous analytical model for WiMAX networks, that takes into account a more general scheduling policy than those previously studied (i.e., instantaneous throughput fairness, slot sharing fairness and opportunistic scheduling). We show that this general policy covers the two extreme cases, namely the instantaneous throughput fairness policy and the opportunistic policy, and offers intermediate policies that are good candidates for finding the right trade-off. In order to formulate the decision criterion, we introduce a new performance parameter, the mean throughput obtained by a user depending on its efficiency to use the resource. The model has a closed-form solution, and all performance parameters can be obtained instantaneously. This allows us to carry out dimensioning studies that require several thousands of evaluations, which would not be tractable with any simulation tool.