Matching Games in Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated Networks: Who to Match and How to Match?

Weiwei Jiang, Haoyu Han, Yang Zhang, Miao He, Weixi Gu

Abstract: Satellite-terrestrial integrated networks and space-air-ground integrated networks have been recognized as important enablers of 6G. With more parties involved, resource management in satellite-terrestrial integrated networks becomes much more complex than before, and challenges arise, for example, dynamic network topology, entangled optimization objective, and high algorithmic complexity. Matching games have proven to be effective tools for addressing these challenges. However, there is a lack of an up-to-date summary of existing studies that apply matching games to satellite-terrestrial integrated networks. This study aims to fill this research gap by discussing both two-sided and three-sided matching games in satellite-terrestrial integrated networks, focusing on two research questions: who to match and how to match? Research challenges and opportunities have also been discussed to inspire follow-up studies.