Network Selection in Hybrid Visible Light Communication-Radiofrequency System

Radio frequency (RF) spectrum limitations pose a major challenge to overcome to ensure the quality of service in networks beyond the fifth generation (5G). Visible light communication (VLC) technology has emerged as a complementary solution to address these limitations. However, efficient resource allocation in a hybrid VLC/RF network requires a robust algorithm to select the network with the best performance for the user. In this paper we propose the design of a network selection algorithm for hybrid VLC/RF systems, which prioritizes the user connection through the VLC network whenever possible. This algorithm is based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), capacity and throughput parameters of each network to make the selection decision between one network or another. Numerical results showed that the SNR value of the VLC network is much higher than the SNR of the RF network, especially for those users near or with direct line-of-sight to the VLC access points (AP). The high bandwidth and high connection capacity of the VLC network allowed serving more users at the same time with good QoS. The network selection algorithm allowed selecting the largest number of users to access the VLC network, thus significantly increasing the overall system throughput and reducing the data load on the RF network.