An adaptive ISMA-DS/CDMA MAC protocol for third-generation mobile communications systems

Abstract

In this paper, an inhibit sense multiple access–direct sequence/code division multiple access (ISMA-DS/CDMA) medium access control protocol for a packet transmission mobile radio network is presented. The main feature of this protocol is its ability to retain the inherent flexibility of random access protocols while at the same time reducing to some extent the randomness in the access in order to increase the system capacity. In this framework, the protocol is presented together with some adaptive mechanisms that improve the protocol performance by means of regulating the access and varying the transmission bit rate according to the channel load that is broadcast by the base station. As a result, an adaptive bit rate algorithm is presented that reaches a throughput value close to the theoretical maximum.