Quasi-Isolated Network Slicing for Multi-Access Edge Computing

Network slicing via next-generation multiple access techniques and multi-access edge computing (MEC) are considered key enablers for meeting the heterogeneous quality of service requirements of the sixth-generation (6G) networks. Thus, in this work, we investigate the coexistence of further enhanced mobile broadband (feMBB) and ultra-massive machine-type communications (umMTC) devices in a quasi-isolated (QI) heterogeneous uplink MEC network, where users of both services share the same resources, interfering with each other. The feMBB users can partially offload their data to the MEC server utilizing the rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) protocol, while the umMTC users perform only full offloading. We formulate and optimally solve the problem of maximizing the number of umMTC devices subject to data processing time and data rate constraints by adjusting both the decoding order of the users and the power splitting factor of the RSMA, while a closed-form expression for the optimal partial offloading factor of the feMBBs devices is derived. Simulation results verify that utilizing the RSMA protocol, the QI MEC network has the potential to support more umMTC devices compared to the isolated one.