Game theory applications in wireless networks : A survey

Game theory is a set of tools developed to model interactions between agents with conflicting interests [5]. It is a field of applied mathematics that defines and evaluates interactive decision situations. It provides analytical tools to predict the outcome of complicated interactions between rational entities, where rationality demands strict adherence to a strategy based on observed or measured results [13]. Originally developed to model problems in the field of economics, game theory has recently been applied to network problems, in most cases to solve the resource allocation problems in a competitive environment. The reason that game theory is an adapted choice for studying cooperative communications is various. Nodes in the network are independent agents, making decisions only for their own interests. Game theory provides us sufficient theoretical tools to analyze the network users’ behaviors and actions. Game theory, also primarily deals with distributed optimization, which often requires local information only. Thus it enables us to design distributed algorithms. [14]. This article surveys the literature on game theory as they apply to wireless networks. First, a brief overview of classifications of games, important definitions used in games (Nash Equilibrium, Pareto efficiency, Pure, Mixed and Fully mixed strategies) and game models are presented. Then, we identified five areas of application of game theory in wireless networks; therefore, we discuss related work to game theory in communication networks, cognitive radio networks, wireless sensor networks, resource allocation and power control. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the application of game theory in wireless networks.