QoS-Aware Resource Scheduling for IAB Networks

In the evolving landscape of Fifth-generation (5G) and beyond, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) networks have emerged as a promising solution to extend coverage and enhance capacity without additional wired infrastructure. However, the dynamic allocation of radio resources on the shared access-backhaul spectrum in IAB networks presents challenges, particularly in meeting the diverse Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of today's services such as voice, video, and data. This paper introduces a heuristic-based, QoS-aware downlink scheduler specifically designed for radio resource scheduling in IAB networks. The proposed scheduler aims to enhance users' satisfaction by meeting users' delay requirements. We evaluate its performance using discrete-event simulations, demonstrating that our scheduler ensure the best Packet Delay Outage Ratio (PDOR) and the highest percentage of satisfied users compared to other tested schedulers.