  To meet the need of computation-sensitive (CS) and high-rate (HR)
communications, the framework of mobile edge computing and caching has been
widely regarded as a promising solution. When such a framework is implemented
in small-cell IoT (Internet of Tings) networks, it is a key and open topic how
to assign mobile edge computing and caching servers to mobile devices (MDs)
with CS and HR communications. Since these servers are integrated into small
base stations (BSs), the assignment of them refers to not only the BS selection
(i.e., MD association), but also the selection of computing and caching modes.
To mitigate the network interference and thus enhance the system performance,
some highly-effective resource partitioning mechanisms are introduced for
access and backhaul links firstly. After that a problem with minimizing the sum
of MDs' weighted delays is formulated to attain a goal of joint MD association
and resource allocation under limited resources. Considering that the MD
association and resource allocation parameters are coupling in such a
formulated problem, we develop an alternating optimization algorithm according
to the coalitional game and convex optimization theorems. To ensure that the
designed algorithm begins from a feasible initial solution, we develop an
initiation algorithm according to the conventional best channel association,
which is used for comparison and the input of coalition game in the simulation.
Simulation results show that the algorithm designed for minimizing the sum of
MDs' weighted delays may achieve a better performance than the initiation (best
channel association) algorithm in general.
