Performance of TDMA and demand assignment multiple access protocols in mobile radio channels

Two multiple-access protocols for mobile data services on error-prone transmission channels are studied. TDMA (time division multiple access) and a class of demand assignment techniques (DAMA) are compared using the same user and channel models. TDMA is analyzed by a straight-forward computation. and for the demand assignment protocols a model consisting of two embedded Markov chains is developed. Channel utilization and packet-delay are evaluated. It is shown that the advantages of DAMA in error-free channels may diminish with increasing error rates.<
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