MAC Level Performance Evaluation of Downlink Resource Allocation Strategies for an OFDMA System Based on IEEE 802.16

In this paper, different downlink resource allocation strategies for an OFDMA are analyzed in detail. The performance of a centrally controlled system based on IEEE 802.16 is investigated by means of stochastic event-driven simulations. The focus is on the tradeoff between system capacity maximization due to the exploitation of multi-user diversity and fairness in terms of packet delay. Since Quality of Service (QoS) provision is a critical design issue in the development of future broadband radio systems, the presented results can be considered as a contribution to the design process of such systems.