Rate-Splitting and Common Message Decoding in Hybrid Cloud/Mobile Edge Computing Networks

Abstract

This paper proposes, and evaluates the benefits of, a hybrid central cloud (CC) and mobile edge computing (MEC) platform, especially introduced to balance the network resources for joint communication and computation. The transmission is further empowered by splitting the users' messages into private and common parts, to mitigate the interference within the CC and MEC platforms. While several power-hungry, computationallylimited unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are deployed at the cell-edge to boost the CC connectivity and relieve part of its computation burden, the CC connects to the base-stations via capacity-limited fronthauls. The paper then considers the problem of maximizing the weighted sum-rate subject to fronthaul and computation capacity, achievable rates, power, delay, and data-split constraints. Thereby determining the beamforming vectors associated with the private and common messages, the computation allocations, and the data-split factors. Such intricate non-convex optimization problem is tackled using an iterative algorithm that relies on well-chosen discrete relaxation, successive convex approximation, and fractional programming, and can be compellingly implemented in a distributed fashion. The simulations illustrate the proposed algorithm's capabilities for empowering joint communication and computation, and highlight the pronounced role of rate-splitting and common message decoding in alleviating large-scale interference in hybrid CC/MEC networks.Index Terms-Rate-splitting, central cloud, mobile edge computing, hybrid networks, unmanned aerial vehicles. I. INTRODUCTION A. MotivationToday's Internet of Things (IoT) applications involve many relevant consumer and industry use cases, e.g., smart cities,

Joint Communication and Computation in Hybrid Cloud/Mobile Edge Computing Networks

“…Edge computers (ECs), on the other hand, are deployed in close proximity to the edge users, thereby reducing connection latency, albeit providing less computational resources with stricter power constraints [9]. Combining the advantages of the CC and the ECs through a hybrid CC/MEC network architecture, therefore, promises to offer valuable joint computational and communication capabilities [10]- [13]. For instance, providing connectivity to poorly served areas often calls for the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) so as to extend the radio access network (RAN) borders, which is bound to boost the mobile EC prospects [14]- [16].…”

“…References [9], [14], [29], however, do not capture the impact of NOMA on hybrid CC/MEC networks. To this end, along with reference [7], the work [10] considers the rate-splitting (RS) paradigm as a generalization of NOMA. While RS is shown to both enable XR services, and outperform the state-of-the-art schemes under strict power and delay constraints, both works [7] and [10] do not consider the potential benefits of device cooperation.…”

“…To this end, along with reference [7], the work [10] considers the rate-splitting (RS) paradigm as a generalization of NOMA. While RS is shown to both enable XR services, and outperform the state-of-the-art schemes under strict power and delay constraints, both works [7] and [10] do not consider the potential benefits of device cooperation. Such aspect is, in fact, of measurable importance especially in situations where some of the devices are blocked.…”