Fair-efficient call admission control policies for broadband networks - A game theoretic framework

A fundamental problem in connection oriented multiservice networks (ATM and STM) is finding the optimal policy for call acceptance. One seeks an admission control policy that efficiently utilizes network resources while at the same time being fair to the various call classes being supported. The theory of cooperative games provides a natural and precise framework for formulating such multicriterion problems as well as solution concepts. In this paper we describe how this framework can be used for analysis and synthesis of call admission strategies in broadband networks. In particular, we investigate the Nash, Raiffa-Kalai-Smorodinsky, and modified Thomson arbitration solutions from game theory. The performance of all solutions is evaluated by applying the value iteration algorithm from Markov decision theory. The approach is illustrated on a one-link network example for which the exact solutions can be achieved. The results indicate that the arbitration schemes from game theory provide some attractive features especially when compared to traditional control objectives: blocking equalization and traffic maximization. We also compare the optimal solutions with some simplified policies belonging to four different classes: complete sharing, coordinate convex, trunk reservation, and dynamic trunk reservation. The comparison indicates that in many cases, the trunk reservation and dynamic trunk reservation policies can provide fair, efficient solutions, close to the optimal ones.