Policy Optimization of the Power Allocation Algorithm Based on the Actor–Critic Framework in Small Cell Networks

A practical solution to the power allocation problem in ultra-dense small cell networks can be achieved by using deep reinforcement learning (DRL) methods. Unlike traditional algorithms, DRL methods are capable of achieving low latency and operating without the need for global real-time channel stat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Haibo Chen, Zhongwei Huang, Xiaorong Zhao, Xiao Liu, Youjun Jiang, Pinyong Geng, Guang Yang, Yewen Cao, Deqiang Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-04-01
Series:Mathematics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/11/7/1702
Description
Summary:A practical solution to the power allocation problem in ultra-dense small cell networks can be achieved by using deep reinforcement learning (DRL) methods. Unlike traditional algorithms, DRL methods are capable of achieving low latency and operating without the need for global real-time channel state information (CSI). Based on the actor–critic framework, we propose a policy optimization of the power allocation algorithm (POPA) for small cell networks in this paper. The POPA adopts the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm to update the policy, which has been shown to have stable exploration and convergence effects in our simulations. Thanks to our proposed actor–critic architecture with distributed execution and centralized exploration training, the POPA can meet real-time requirements and has multi-dimensional scalability. Through simulations, we demonstrate that the POPA outperforms existing methods in terms of spectral efficiency. Our findings suggest that the POPA can be of practical value for power allocation in small cell networks.
ISSN:2227-7390