Robust Content Delivery and Uncertainty Tracking in Predictive Wireless Networks

Predictive resource allocations (PRAs) have recently gained attention in wireless network literature due to their significant energy-savings and quality of service (QoS) gains. This enhanced performance was primarily demonstrated while assuming the perfect prediction of both mobility traces and anticipated channel rates. While the results are very promising, several technical challenges need to be overcome before PRAs can be practically adopted. Techniques that model the prediction uncertainty and provide probabilistic quality of service (QoS) guarantees are among such challenges. This differs from the traditional robust optimization of wireless resources, as PRAs use a time horizon with predicted demands and anticipated data rates. In this paper, we tackle this problem and present an energy-efficient stochastic PRAs framework that is robust to prediction uncertainty under generic error probability density functions. The framework is applied for video delivery, where the desired video demands are modeled as probabilistic chance constraints over the prediction time horizon, and a deterministic closed form is then derived based on the Bernstein approximation (BA). In addition to handling prediction uncertainty, mechanisms that track the variance of the channel in real-time are practically needed. Towards this end, we demonstrate how a particle filter (PF) can be adopted to effectively achieve this functionality. A low complexity guided heuristic algorithm is also integrated with the BA-based allocations, and particle filter (PF), to provide a real-time solution. Extensive numerical simulations using a standard compliant long term evolution system are then presented to examine the developed solutions under various operating conditions. Results indicate the ability of our framework to significantly reduce base station energy consumption while satisfying users’ QoS under practical prediction uncertainty.