A new multiple access protocol for satellite communication networks

A new class of protocols for the communication of single packet messages over a multiple access satellite channel is introduced. Known as the Interleaved Frame Flush-Out (IFFO) protocols, they combine reservation and contention techniques. The operation of the IFFO protocols can be characterized by a Markov chain, a property that facilitates both analysis and simulation. Two members of this class of protocols provide improved delay-throughput performance (as compared with previously proposed techniques) over a wide range of throughput, while assuring stability.