An opportunistic resource allocation approach for mixed QoS and non-QoS connections in OFDMA wireless networks

An opportunistic resource allocation approach is proposed to guarantee both fair resource allocation and high system throughput under combinations of QoS and non-QoS connections in OFDMA networks. This approach features dynamic connection classification and packet prioritization based on real-time network conditions and QoS constraints. A classifier is first employed to prioritize QoS connections by observing the channel state of each subscriber station and the utilization of network resources. It performs a finite-horizon Markov decision process with dynamic rules affected by system load. The transmission order of packets is then determined by an opportunistic multiservice scheduler according to the QoS requirements of connections and the output of the classifier. Having the scheduling result, an allocator assigns slots to the scheduled packets, and its output is linked back to the connection classifier through a resource usage observer for all subscriber stations. The sub-channel allocation problem is also solved by cooperation between the slot allocator and the packet scheduler. Results of numerical analysis and NS2 simulation confirm the advantages claimed above. The same conclusion can also be drawn from the comparison with several existing approaches in terms of system throughput, service successful ratio, average spectral efficiency, and system revenue.