Dynamic RAT Selection and Pricing for Efficient Traffic Allocation in 5G HetNets

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on 5G heterogeneous networks, considering the existence of multiple Distributed Units (DUs) that can provide access to end users implementing several access technologies, managed by a Central Unit (CU) responsible for the allocation of network resources. Based on a distributed dynamic pricing scheme, that gives to User Equipment (UE) the ability to select the appropriate Radio Access Technology (RAT) depending on its sensitivity to congestion, we investigate a scheme of greater granularity, where UEs are able to allocate each of their traffic classes to the appropriate RAT, exploiting their multi-homing features. As UEs are sequentially polled to request for network resources, we develop a centrally controlled proportionally fair ranking as a benchmark policy. We then propose a dynamic polling policy that presents close performance to the benchmark policy, while maintaining a distributed nature. We evaluate our framework for a variety of traffic classes in terms of Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, and we provide results on capacity utilization and load distribution over available RATs, as well as access price variations.