Distributed power control with multiple agents in a distributed base station scheme using macrodiversity

Abstract

Power management in wireless networks has been thoroughly studied and applied in many different contexts. However, the problem has not been tackled from a multiple-agent perspective (MA). This paper intends to do so in the context of a wireless network comprised of distributed base stations using macrodiversity. The proposed design is shown to provide efficient use of macrodiversity resources and high energy efficiency when compared with more traditional algorithms. Moreover, the power control mechanism is completely decentralized, while avoiding direct information exchange or excessive signaling, which makes it highly scalable. Its auto-configuration property, stemming from its MA basis, offers high adaptivity when experiencing high or low interference levels. This leads to a naturally balanced resource usage, while also maintaining nearly full efficiency with only a reduced set of discrete power levels, thus making low-cost electronic implementation practical. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.