OFDM2A: A Centralized Resource Allocation Policy for Cellular Multi-hop Networks

We study the problem of joint scheduling and routing in the context of multi-hop communication over a relay-assisted broadband cellular network from an information-theoretic view. We propose orthogonal frequency division multi-hop multiple-access (OFDM²A) as a novel resource allocation policy; under which the time and frequency resources of the network are orthogonally shared among multiple users over multiple hops. This scheme provides a very simple and reliable framework for resource allocation over cellular multi-hop networks, ensuring interference-free multi-user communication. Furthermore, the novel principle of separating subcarrier allocation and multi-hop route selection allows for the design of low-complexity centralized opportunistic scheduling algorithms based on end-to-end route cost metrics, simultaneously realizing multi-user diversity and multi-hop diversity gains and thereby enhancing cellular capacity and coverage.