BSAC-CoEx: Coexistence of URLLC and Distributed Learning Services via Device Selection
2026 (English)In: IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, E-ISSN 1932-4537, Vol. 23, p. 1406-1421Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Recent advances in distributed intelligence have driven impressive progress across a diverse range of applications, from industrial automation to autonomous transportation. Nevertheless, deploying distributed learning services over wireless networks poses numerous challenges. These arise from inherent uncertainties in wireless environments (e.g., random channel fluctuations), limited resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power), and the presence of coexisting services on the network. In this paper, we investigate a mixed service scenario wherein high-priority ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and low-priority distributed learning services run concurrently over a network. Utilizing device selection, we aim to minimize the convergence time of distributed learning while simultaneously fulfilling the requirements of the URLLC service. We formulate this problem as a Markov decision process and address it via BSAC-CoEx, a framework based on the branching soft actor-critic (BSAC) algorithm that determines each device's participation decision through distinct branches in the actor's neural network. We evaluate our solution with a realistic simulator that is compliant with 3GPP standards for factory automation use cases. Our simulation results confirm that our solution can significantly decrease the training delays of the distributed learning service while keeping the URLLC availability above its required threshold and close to the scenario where URLLC solely consumes all wireless resources.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) , 2026. Vol. 23, p. 1406-1421
Keywords [en]
Ultra reliable low latency communication, Distance learning, Computer aided instruction, Training, Delays, Convergence, Wireless networks, Computational modeling, Vectors, Manufacturing automation, 6G, URLLC, device selection, distributed learning, factory automation, reinforcement learning, soft actor-critic
National Category
Communication Systems
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-378299DOI: 10.1109/TNSM.2025.3641848ISI: 001662956200002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105024583213OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-378299DiVA, id: diva2:2047023
Note
QC 20260318
2026-03-182026-03-182026-03-18Bibliographically approved