# Mobility-Aware Cluster Federated Learning in Hierarchical Wireless Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.09103 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.09103/

## Key facts

- Cited by 35 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 28 of its 37 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Aug 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 28 of 28)

- [Graph Attention Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.10903/) (2017)
- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [Fashion-MNIST: a Novel Image Dataset for Benchmarking Machine Learning Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.07747/) (2017)
- [Advances and Open Problems in Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.04977/) (2019)
- [Optimization Methods for Large-Scale Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.04838/) (2016)
- [Federated Learning with Non-IID Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.00582/) (2018)
- [Federated Multi-Task Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.10467/) (2017)
- [Personalized Federated Learning with Moreau Envelopes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.08848/) (2020)
- [Clustered Federated Learning: Model-Agnostic Distributed Multi-Task Optimization under Privacy Constraints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.01991/) (2019)
- [Adaptive Federated Learning in Resource Constrained Edge Computing Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.05271/) (2018)
- [Personalized Federated Learning: A Meta-Learning Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.07948/) (2020)
- [Personalized Cross-Silo Federated Learning on Non-IID Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.03797/) (2020)
- [A Joint Learning and Communications Framework for Federated Learning over Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.07972/) (2019)
- [Federated learning with hierarchical clustering of local updates to improve training on non-IID data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.11791/) (2020)
- [Client-Edge-Cloud Hierarchical Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.06641/) (2019)
- [Scheduling Policies for Federated Learning in Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.06287/) (2019)
- [Asynchronous Parallel Stochastic Gradient for Nonconvex Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.08272/) (2015)
- [Cooperative SGD: A unified Framework for the Design and Analysis of Communication-Efficient SGD Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.07576/) (2018)
- [Hierarchical Federated Learning Across Heterogeneous Cellular Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.02362/) (2019)
- [Convergence Time Optimization for Federated Learning over Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.07845/) (2020)
- [In-Edge AI: Intelligentizing Mobile Edge Computing, Caching and Communication by Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.07857/) (2018)
- [HFEL: Joint Edge Association and Resource Allocation for Cost-Efficient Hierarchical Federated Edge Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.11343/) (2020)
- [Convergence of Update Aware Device Scheduling for Federated Learning at the Wireless Edge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.10402/) (2020)
- [From Distributed Machine Learning to Federated Learning: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.14362/) (2021)
- [FedCluster: Boosting the Convergence of Federated Learning via Cluster-Cycling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.10748/) (2020)
- [Demystifying Why Local Aggregation Helps: Convergence Analysis of Hierarchical SGD](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.12998/) (2020)
- [Multi-Level Local SGD for Heterogeneous Hierarchical Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.13819/) (2020)
- [Resource Allocation in Mobility-Aware Federated Learning Networks: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.09172/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 35)

- [Async-HFL: Efficient and Robust Asynchronous Federated Learning in Hierarchical IoT Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.06646/) (2023)
- [Mobility Accelerates Learning: Convergence Analysis on Hierarchical Federated Learning in Vehicular Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.09656/) (2024)
- [Adaptive Federated Pruning in Hierarchical Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.09042/) (2023)
- [Hierarchical Federated Learning in Wireless Networks: Pruning Tackles Bandwidth Scarcity and System Heterogeneity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.01562/) (2023)
- [Agglomerative Federated Learning: Empowering Larger Model Training via End-Edge-Cloud Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11489/) (2023)
- [Delay-Aware Hierarchical Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12414/) (2023)
- [MEET: Mobility-Enhanced Edge inTelligence for Smart and Green 6G Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15111/) (2022)
- [Adaptive Federated Learning Over the Air](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.06528/) (2024)
- [Federated Intelligence: When Large AI Models Meet Federated Fine-Tuning and Collaborative Reasoning at the Network Edge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21412/) (2025)
- [Mobility-Aware Joint User Scheduling and Resource Allocation for Low Latency Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.09263/) (2023)
- [Dynamic Scheduling for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications Enhanced Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.17470/) (2024)
- [Large Language Model as a Catalyst: A Paradigm Shift in Base Station Siting Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03631/) (2024)
- [Trustworthy Image Semantic Communication with GenAI: Explainablity, Controllability, and Efficiency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03806/) (2024)
- [Data-Heterogeneous Hierarchical Federated Learning with Mobility](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.10692/) (2023)
- [Task-Oriented Communication for Graph Data: A Graph Information Bottleneck Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.02728/) (2024)
- [FedMeld: A Model-dispersal Federated Learning Framework for Space-ground Integrated Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.17231/) (2024)
- [Federated Hybrid Training and Self-Adversarial Distillation: Towards Robust Edge Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.19354/) (2024)
- [A survey on Clustered Federated Learning: Taxonomy, Analysis and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.17512/) (2025)
- [Adaptive UAV-Assisted Hierarchical Federated Learning: Optimizing Energy, Latency, and Resilience for Dynamic Smart IoT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06145/) (2025)
- [FedCGD: Collective Gradient Divergence Optimized Scheduling for Wireless Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.07581/) (2025)
- [Elastic Federated Learning over Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) for Concurrent Execution of Multiple Distributed Learning Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.02109/) (2023)
- [Federated Learning over Hierarchical Wireless Networks: Training Latency Minimization via Submodel Partitioning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.17890/) (2023)
- [Distribution-Aware Mobility-Assisted Decentralized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.18866/) (2025)
- [Fast AI Model Partition for Split Learning over Edge Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.01041/) (2025)
- [Hierarchical Reference Sets for Robust Unsupervised Detection of Scattered and Clustered Outliers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.12847/) (2026)
- [C2FL: Clustered Continual Federated Learning under Spatial and Temporal Drift](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.18003/) (2026)
- [A Joint Gradient and Loss Based Clustered Federated Learning Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.13665/) (2023)
- [Empowering HWNs with Efficient Data Labeling: A Clustered Federated Semi-Supervised Learning Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.10646/) (2024)
- [Twin Sorting Dynamic Programming Assisted User Association and Wireless Bandwidth Allocation for Hierarchical Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.09076/) (2024)
- [Mobility-Aware Federated Learning: Multi-Armed Bandit Based Selection in Vehicular Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.10451/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Implementing federated learning (FL) algorithms in wireless networks has garnered a wide range of attention. However, few works have considered the impact of user mobility on the learning performance. To fill this research gap, firstly, we develop a theoretical model to characterize the hierarchical federated learning (HFL) algorithm in wireless networks where the mobile users may roam across multiple edge access points, leading to incompletion of inconsistent FL training. Secondly, we provide the convergence analysis of HFL with user mobility. Our analysis proves that the learning performance of HFL deteriorates drastically with highly-mobile users. And this decline in the learning performance will be exacerbated with small number of participants and large data distribution divergences among local data of users. To circumvent these issues, we propose a mobility-aware cluster federated learning (MACFL) algorithm by redesigning the access mechanism, local update rule and model aggregation scheme. Finally, we provide experiments to evaluate the learning performance of HFL and our MACFL. The results show that our MACFL can enhance the learning performance, especially for three different cases, namely, the case of users with non-independent and identical distribution data, the case of users with high mobility, and the cases with a small number of users.