Power Control Using Game Theory in a Shared Open Spectrum

The main problem of the today’s IEEE 802.11 WLANs is the small number of available channels. In this paper we focus on a novel way of maximization of the network throughput and the provision of fairness which are key challenges in IEEE WLANs, using Game Theory. We examine two types of power control games, namely the non-cooperative and the cooperative power control game. In the case of non-cooperative power control game we find the Nash equilibrium in a distributed way. In the case of cooperative power control game we assume that there exists a central entity called coordinator which announces the calculated Nash bargaining solution to the access points. Finally, we present the results of simulations implemented in MATLAB through a series of plots and tables.