Braess-type paradox in self-optimizing wireless networks

Abstract

The Braess's paradox, also called Braess paradox, in transportation networks states that adding extra capacity to a network, when moving entities with incomplete information selfishly choose their routes, can in some cases reduce the overall network performance. In this paper, we observe a similar phenomenon in wireless networks. More specifically, we consider a single-cell system with two different types of access points, one of them with a fixed rate and one of them with a variable rate, i.e., a rate that depends on the number of users connected to that access point. We observe that, under certain conditions, the intersystem connection between these two types of access points does not necessarily improve the overall system performance. In other words, after the interconnection, the individual rates of users as well as their sum rate might get worse. This is similar to the original Braess paradox where adding a new route does not necessarily improve the overall traffic throughput. We develop a general model that describes under which conditions and for which families of variable rate functions this paradox happens. abstract environment. © 2013 Springer International Publishing.