Self-Organizing Networks: A Packet Scheduling Approach for Coverage/Capacity Optimization in 4G Networks Using Reinforcement Learning

Authors

  • Moazzam Islam Tiwana COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Syed Junaid Nawaz COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Ataul Aziz Ikram National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
  • Mohsin Islam Tiwana National University of Sciences and Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.20.9.4786

Keywords:

Packet Scheduling, LTE, Reinforcement Learning, Fuzzy Q-Learning, SON

Abstract

The next generation mobile networks LTE and LTE-A are all-IP based networks. In such IP based networks, the issue of Quality of Service (QoS) is becoming more and more critical with the increase in network size and heterogeneity. In this paper, a Reinforcement Learning (RL) based framework for QoS enhancement is proposed. The framework achieves the coverage/capacity optimization by adjusting the scheduling strategy. The proposed self-optimization algorithm uses coverage/capacity compromise in Packet Scheduling (PS) to maximize the capacity of an eNB subject to the condition that minimum coverage constraint is not violated. Each eNB has an associated agent that dynamically changes the scheduling parameter value of an eNB. The agent uses the RL technique of Fuzzy Q-Learning (FQL) to learn the optimal scheduling parameter. The learning framework is designed to operate in an environment with varying traffic, user positions, and propagation conditions. A comprehensive analysis on the obtained simulation results is presented, which shows that the proposed approach can significantly improve the network coverage as well as capacity in terms of throughput.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.20.9.4786

Author Biography

Moazzam Islam Tiwana, COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

Moazzam Islam Tiwana  received a B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Taxilla, Pakistan, in 2001, and a M.A.Sc. degree in Digital Telecommunication Systems from ENST, Paris, France in 2007 and a Ph.D. degree in Mobile Communications from Telecom SudParis Paris, France, in 2010. His PHD was with the R&D Group of Orange Labs of France Telecom. He has more than eight years of industrial and academic experience with research publications in the reputed international journals. Currently, he is working as Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering Department of COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology.

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Published

2014-11-05

How to Cite

Tiwana, M. I., Nawaz, S. J., Ikram, A. A., & Tiwana, M. I. (2014). Self-Organizing Networks: A Packet Scheduling Approach for Coverage/Capacity Optimization in 4G Networks Using Reinforcement Learning. Elektronika Ir Elektrotechnika, 20(9), 59-64. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.20.9.4786

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 9 (2014)

Section

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING

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