Multiple access protocol for an underground wireless communication network

The MINECOM system, a versatile microcellular mobile communications network specifically designed for underground mining, is aimed at providing reliable communications for multiple channels of two-way voice, monitoring data, control signals, and eventually compressed digital video. This paper studies the multiple access technique adopted in the MINECOM network. The performance of the MINECOM protocol is analyzed in terms of throughput and average message delay by the EPA (equilibrium point analysis) method.