Medium access control design for UWB communication systems: Review and trends

Future wireless networks are expected to achieve high bit rates at low cost, enabling multimedia and QoS-based services over the wireless medium. The impulse radio ultra-wide band (IR-UWB) technique is a promising candidate in the deployment of such networks, thanks to its potential robustness and capacity. In the past, most of the UWB research focused on hardware and physical layer aspects in order to solve the technological challenges posed by IR-UWB. UWB peculiar characteristics may, however, also stimulate innovative higher layers' design. This work addresses MAC issues for UWB communication systems. Key areas such as medium sharing, MAC organization, packet scheduling and power control are reviewed. The impact of UWB on the above functions is discussed, and areas which require UWB specific design are identified. Finally, novel MAC functions enabled by UWB specific features, i.e., precise ranging and positioning, are presented.