Multiple-access protocols for satellite packet communication networks: A performance comparison

This paper considers satellite packet communication networks with a large population of bursty users and presents an analytic comparison of the throughput versus average message delay trade-off characteristics of multiple-access protocols. The following six multiple-access protocols are examined: 1) slotted ALOHA, 2) reservation-ALOHA, 3) a reservation protocol with a slotted ALOHA reservation channel, 4) a reservation protocol with a TDMA reservation channel, 5) SRUC (Split Reservation Upon Collision), and 6) fixed assigned TDMA. All the protocols are required to ensure that all packets of a message are correctly received in the proper order at the destination. Then, a unified presentation of the delay-throughput performance of the protocols is given by means of an analytical technique called equilibrium point analysis. The throughput versus average message delay tradeoff characteristics are compared taking into account the system stability.