Service-oriented utility-based uplink power control in two-tier femtocell networks

In this paper the problem of uplink power allocation in two-tier macrocell/femtocell CDMA networks is addressed. A generic game-theoretic framework for efficiently assigning users´ power level is proposed, targeting at actual throughput maximization alongside with power consumption and interference minimization, under certain physical limitations. The consequent problem is formulated as a non-cooperative service-oriented game with exogenous parameter, which is treated by means of supermodularity theory. The existence of a Nash equilibrium point of the game is shown and a novel service-oriented distributed uplink power control (SUPC^F) algorithm is proposed for attaining the corresponding equilibrium point, with provable convergence. Numerical results are presented that verify the analytical claims and allow the derivation of novel and practical intuitions on how cross-tier interference affects users´ service performance.