Analysis of multimedia PCN medium access control in a mixed traffic environment

The authors consider a simple medium access control technique for a slotted multiple access channel in a mixed traffic environment. The aim is to optimize the multiple access techniques so that the maximum delay constraints are satisfied. Steady-state expressions for channel throughput, average packet delay, and average packet loss rate are developed for fixed and adaptive retransmission schemes. Using adaptive retransmission techniques, significant improvement in performance can be obtained in the high-throughput operating region. The performance does not change significantly with the actual mix (%) of real-time and nonreal-time traffic. The analysis methodology used can be easily extended to include additional classes of traffic. The access control techniques discussed are applicable to a variety of communications applications, including low-earth-orbit satellite communication systems