Performance analysis of a downlink MAC protocol with power-saving support

This paper presents the theoretical analysis of a downlink MAC protocol, which features power-saving characteristics and has been previously proposed for implementation in mobile data networks. The main objective of the protocol is to conserve valuable battery energy at the portable terminals of a wireless network. To accomplish this, the terminals employ discontinuous reception, i.e., they periodically power on and off their receive units. The key feature of the protocol, which makes it different from the other power-saving alternatives, is that it does not require system synchronization so the terminals are free to turn on and off their receivers based on their own necessities. The paper discusses the main properties of this protocol and develops a theoretical framework to approximate its performance. Theoretical results for the mean downlink packet delay as well as for the mean downlink power consumption are derived, and these results are compared against simulation outcomes in order to estimate their validity. The main conclusions are that the considered power-saving protocol features great potentials and can be easily implemented and that the developed theoretical model provides an acceptable theoretical tool for its analysis.