Applying bargaining solutions to resource allocation in multiuser mimo-ofdma broadcast systems

Abstract—Multiuser multi-input multi-output orthogonal fre-quency division multiple access (MIMO-OFDMA) is regarded as an important technology for increasing the flexibility and efficiency of wireless communication systems. A well-behaved resource allocation strategy is crucial for the performance of such systems. In this paper, we systematically study the allocation problem from a game theory perspective for the multiuser down-link broadcast channel. First, we investigate the application of the Nash and Kalai–Smorodinsky bargaining games to a general resource allocation problem and propose algorithms to find the corresponding solutions. Then we apply the general solutions to the special case where spatial block diagonalization is combined with time-sharing to multiplex a subset of the users on every subcarrier. To reduce the computational complexity, a framework for simplifying the resulting algorithms is also given. Numerical results and analysis are provided to compare the performance of the different resource allocation methods. Index Terms—Block diagonalization, convex optimization, game theory, Kalai–Smorodinsky bargaining solution (KSBS), multiuser multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MIMO-OFDMA), Nash bargaining solution (NBS), power allocation, subcarrier allocation. I