Stabilization of the randomized slotted ALOHA protocol without the use of channel feedback information

This paper examines the dynamic characteristics of the randomized slotted ALOHA (RSA) protocol that is commonly employed in contention-based reservation multiaccess schemes. The average drift (or expected packet flow) is derived from a Markov chain for a finite number of single-buffer users and is used to determine the stability of the protocol. Results show that unlike many random access schemes (RSA) possesses exactly one equilibrium point even when the channel load estimate is inaccurate. However, any under-estimation in the channel load increases the equilibrium backlog (and reduces the average throughput) at a rate faster than when the channel load is overestimated. The protocol can achieve stable, nonzero throughput without the need for channel feedback information.