Next generation wireless networks will
need to support applications with diverse bandwidth and quality of service
requirements, a mixture of real-time and non-real-time, circuit- and
packet-switched services, and devices with different transmission capabilities
and frequency agility. There is
also a growing need to support end-to-end IP communications, to provide an
universal platform for applications and devices, and for reasons of cost,
scalability and reliability. In this emerging environment, flexible and
efficient management of resources is imperative in the air interface and
backhaul network, given the many challenges including the limited radio spectrum, high cost of
radio access networks, volatile wireless channel conditions, and the diverse
and demanding QoS requirements. However, system-wide implications and
interactions of resource management schemes and wireless access techniques are
often ignored, although it is generally unrealistic to do so. Our principal research objective of
this project is to develop a comprehensive resource management framework for
supporting heterogeneous traffic seamlessly over a (initially CDMA-based) radio
access system. Specific goals include studying the fundamental
resource-allocation problems in the air interface and IP-RAN, understanding and
incorporating the many interactions while implementing resource management, and
trading-off optimality with control and management overhead.