General order selection allocation for decentralized multiple access networks

Decentralized multiple access networks require dynamic spectrum allocation to efficiently and fairly allocate resources among multiple users. In this paper, we consider the problem of spectrum allocation from the standpoint of diversity combining, and in particular as an explicit case of selection combining (SC). General order selection allocation (GOSA) was previously proposed by the authors as a low-complexity spectrum allocation scheme for decentralized multiple access networks. In this paper, noting that previous analytical results on the error performance of GOSA are for independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading, we carry out a thorough and exact analysis of GOSA for the i.i.d. Nakagami-m fading scenario. In particular, based on new results on the exact and asymptotic average error probability of the r-th order statistic, we obtain exact and asymptotic closed-form expressions for the error performance of GOSA. Numerical results show that the performance of the algorithm is close to that of the highly complex optimal search method.