Wireless resources virtualization in LTE systems

Abstract

This paper proposes a framework for Wireless Resource Virtualization (WRV) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. An shared radio access network connects Multiple Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and allocates radio resources to their users. We formulate the WRV problem as a Binary Integer Programming (BIP) problem. Subsequently, a low complexity iterative algorithm is presented to solve the BIP problem. The proposed framework allows MNOs to customize their scheduling policies to fit their service requirements and business models. Essential considerations like isolation across MNOs, complexity, and efficient resource utilization are also considered and evaluated. The results show that the proposed framework can efficiently share the radio resources between MNOs while maintaining the sharing agreement conditions.