Uplink Resource Allocation for Real-Time Applications in SC-FDMA Networks

In this paper we present and evaluate the performance of a resource allocation algorithm to enhance the Quality of Service (QoS) provision and energy efficiency of uplink Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. The proposed algorithm considers the main constraints in uplink LTE resource allocation, i.e., the allocation of contiguous sets of resource blocks of the Single Carrier – Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) physical layer to each user, and the imperfect knowledge of the users' uplink buffer status and packet waiting time. Resource allocation is performed using information on the estimated uplink packet delay, the average delay and data rate of past allocations, as well as the required uplink power per resource block. According to simulation results, the proposed algorithm achieves significant performance improvement in terms of packet loss rate, goodput, fairness, and energy efficiency. Moreover, the effect of poor QoS provision on energy efficiency is demonstrated through the evaluation of the performance in terms of energy consumption per successfully received bit