Bistable Behavior of ALOHA-Type Systems

Packet switching has found widespread application in computer communications because of its ability to efficiently handle high ratios of peak-to-average data rate. Packet radio is the application of packet switching techniques to radio channels. The resultant multiple-access problem requires novel approaches. Such approaches have been developed by others and have primarily been analyzed in steady-state behavior. This paper demonstrates and analyzes an important aspect of the dynamic characteristics of packet radio, namely, that of bistable behavior. That is, the system possesses two statistically stable equilibrium points, one in a desirable low-delay region, and the other in an undesirable high-delay region. Since the stability is only statistical in nature, the system oscillates between these two points. Even if the resultant steady-state behavior is very poor, this dynamic analysis frequently shows that system performance will be acceptable. This is due to quiet periods (such as at night) which allow the system to recover.