Design and performance analysis of the algorithms for channel allocation in cellular networks

The authors consider the problem of dynamic channel allocation in cellular networks. Each cell can use any channel, subject to the interference constraints. Channel allocation algorithms are executed by the network switch in a centralized way. The authors show how to design and use objective functions aimed at proper channel allocation and improvement of network performance. As a figure of merit of network performance, they consider the blocking probability in the network as a whole, and the maximum blocking probability in any particular cell of the network ("hot-spot" in the network). They designed three specific channel allocation policies, based on three different objective functions. Compared with two other benchmark policies, the approach shows significant improvement. Performance analysis of various channel allocation policies is virtually impossible without simulations, which are prohibitively time-consuming in the case of small blocking probabilities. The authors propose an original approximate method based on a short simulation and an analytic approximation. The method exhibits good accuracy and significant improvement in efficiency.