Preference Value-Based Network Selection and Resource Allocation in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Network selection and resource allocation( NS-RA) are the processes of determining network and radio resource which provide the service to user. Optimizing these processes is an important step towards maximizing the utilization of current and future networks. In this paper,we proposed a preference value-based network selection and resource allocation,in which the NS scheme was performed by the joint radio resource management( JRRM) entity and the RA scheme was performed by the network. In the NS step,the JRRM entity selected the preferable network for users according to the preference value of each network,which took the load balance,the received signal strength( RSS) and the relative position between the user and the network into account. In the second step,the network allocated the optimal sub-carrier to user for the downlink transmission each round according to the preference value of each user and the maximum reachable data rate calculated by users' perceived channel information,maximizing the spectrum efficiency as well as guaranteeing the fairness. The simulation results showed that the proposed NS-RA scheme achieves better performance in terms of load distribution,spectrum efficiency and user fairness,compared to the conventional strategies.