On the Throughput and Optimal Packet Length of an Uncoded ARQ System over Slow Rayleigh Fading Channels

This letter presents a simplified expression for the average packet error rate (PER) for an uncoded packet transmission system with large packet length over slow Rayleigh fading channels, by assuming that the bit error rate (BER) has an exponential form. Then the throughput performance of an uncoded packet transmission system with automatic repeat request (ARQ) is investigated, and the optimal packet length is derived to maximize the throughput. The theoretical analysis is validated by simulations.