Distributed Approximation of Cellular Coverage

Boaz Patt-Shamir, Dror Rawitz, Gabriel Scalosub

Abstract:

We consider the following model of cellular networks. Each base station has a given finite capacity, and each client has some demand and profit. A client can be covered by a specific subset of the base stations, and its profit is obtained only if its demand is provided in full. The goal is to assign clients to base stations, so that the overall profit is maximized subject to base station capacity constraints.
In this work we present a distributed algorithm for the problem, that runs in polylogarithmic time, and guarantees an approximation ratio close to the best known ratio achievable by a centralized algorithm.