Throughput guarantee targeted hybrid scheduling for downlink WCDMA data networks

Emerging WCDMA data services will likely require resource allocation to ensure that throughput targets are met. Scheduling of power and rate among competing data streams is a key component to any such resource allocation strategy. We believe a scheduler should be both efficient and fair. We propose here a scheduler that takes advantage of variations in the wireless channel both channel fluctuations in time for each user, and channel variations among multiple users at a particular time. By mixing a max-min policy with a policy of serving users with relatively good channels, the scheduler can achieve individual average throughput targets in a manner that encourages system efficiency. We analyze the proposed scheduler using numerical examples, which demonstrate the superiority in both efficiency and fairness over proportional fair scheduling. We also analyze the limiting effects of system power and rate supply