DQN-GNN-Based User Association Approach for Wireless Networks

Abstract

In the realm of advanced mobile networks, such as the fifth generation (5G) and beyond, the increasing complexity and proliferation of devices and unique applications present a substantial challenge for User Association (UA) in wireless systems. The problem of UA in wireless networks is multifaceted and requires comprehensive exploration. This paper presents a pioneering approach to the issue, integrating a Deep Q-Network (DQN) with a Graph Neural Network (GNN) to enhance user-base station association in wireless networks. This novel approach surpasses recent methodologies, including Q-learning and max average techniques, in terms of average rewards, returns, and success rate. This superiority is attributed to its capacity to encapsulate intricate relationships and spatial dependencies among users and base stations in wireless systems. The proposed methodology achieves a success rate of 95.2%, outperforming other methodologies by a margin of up to 5.9%.