Optimal resource allocation in uplink SC-FDMA systems

We present algorithms for resource allocation in Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, which is the uplink multiple access scheme considered in the Third Generation Partnership Project-Long Term Evolution (3GPP-LTE) standard. Unlike the well-studied problem of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) resource allocation, the "subchannel adjacency" restriction, whereby users can only be assigned multiple subchannels that are adjacent to each other, makes the problem much harder to solve. We present a novel reformulation of this problem as a pure binary-integer program called the set partitioning problem, which is a well studied problem in operations research. We also present a greedy heuristic algorithm that approaches the optimal performance in cases of practical interest. We present simulation results for 3GPP-LTE uplink scenarios.