Weighted Sum-Rate Maximization for MISO Downlink Cellular Networks via Branch and Bound

The problem of weighted sum-rate maximization (WSRMax) in multicell downlink multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems is considered. The problem is known to be NP-hard. We propose a method, based on branch and bound technique, which solves globally the nonconvex WSRMax problem with an optimality certificate. Specifically, the algorithm computes a sequence of asymptotically tight upper and lower bounds and it terminates when the difference between them falls below a pre-specified tolerance. Novel bounding techniques via conic optimization are introduced and their efficiency is demonstrated by numerical simulations. The proposed method can be used to provide performance benchmarks by back-substituting it into many existing network design problems which relies on WSRMax problem. The method proposed here can be easily extended to maximize any system performance metric that can be expressed as a Lipschitz continuous and increasing function of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio.