Optimal Split Bearer Control and Resource Allocation for Multi-Connectivity in 5G New Radio

Wireless cellular systems are evolving towards the integration of services and devices with a diverse set of throughput, latency, and reliability requirements. To this end, 3GPP has introduced Multi Connectivity (MC) as a more flexible architecture for 5G NR (New Radio), where multiple wireless connections can be used simultaneously to split or duplicate data traffic. While multi connectivity improves single user performance, the inherent increase of data transmissions on the wireless channel may result in higher interference, thus reducing the overall system performance. This paper analyzes the problem of admission control and resource allocation in multi connectivity scenarios, considering different requirements and 5G NR features. We formulate the problem as an optimization program and provide an heuristic approach to solve it. Numerical results in a realistic network deployment confirm that our solution can effectively allocate radio resources in order to increase admission rate and system throughput.