Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Machine-Type Communications in Smart Grid Based on a Matching With Externalities Approach

Machine-type communication plays a critical role in the reliable operation of the smart grid. To overcome the problem of spectrum scarcity, the massive number of machine-type devices (MTDs) are allowed to reuse the spectrum resource allocated to the cellular users (CUs) opportunistically. However, the complicated interference caused by channel reusing and the energy efficiency (EE) issues pose new challenges on resource allocation. In this paper, we investigate the problem of EE maximization for MTDs via jointly optimizing channel selection and power control. A two-stage optimization algorithm is proposed based on many-to-one matching with externalities. In the first stage, each MTD is temporally allocated to predefined transmission power, and then the channel selection optimization problem is solved by matching with externalities to derive the matching relationship between MTDs and resource blocks (RBs). In the second stage, the power control optimization problem is solved by the nonlinear fractional programming algorithm based on the established matching relationship obtained in the first stage. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other two heuristic algorithms distinctly.