Decoupled Uplink/Downlink User Association in HetNets: A Matching with Contracts Approach

In light of the prevalent trend towards dense HetNets, the conventional coupled user association, where mobile device uses the same base station (BS) for both uplink and downlink traffic, is being questioned and the alternative and more general downlink/uplink decoupling paradigm is emerging. We focus on designing an effective user association mechanism for HetNets with downlink/uplink decoupling, which has started to receive more attention. We use a combination of matching theory and stochastic geometry. We model the problem as a matching with contracts game by drawing an analogy with the hospital-doctor matching problem. In our model, we use stochastic geometry to derive a closed-form expression for matching utility function. Our model captures different objectives between users in the uplink/downlink directions and also from the perspective of BSs. Based on this game model, we present a matching algorithm for decoupled uplink/downlink user association that results in a stable allocation. Simulation results demonstrate that our approach provides close-to-optimal performance, and significant gains over alternative approaches for user association in the decoupled context as well as the traditional coupled user association; these gains are a result of the holistic nature of our approach that accounts for the additional cost associated with decoupling and inter-dependence between uplink and downlink associations. Our work is also the first in the wireless communications domain to employ matching with contracts approach.