Packet reservation multiple access over slow and fast fading channels

Abstract

Packet reservation multiple access (PRMA) allows a group of spatially dispersed terminals to transmit packet voice and data over a common channel. A means to model and evaluate the effects of packet transmission errors on PRMA is developed. PRMA is considered in the context of a cellular system, and the effects of fading on the performance of PRMA are studied. PRMA performance is assessed in terms of system capacity, outage, and cellular efficiency when the transmission channel is subject to slow and fast fading. It is shown that for fast-fading channels simple forward-error correction is sufficient for acceptable system performance. In slow-fading channels, however, other techniques such as selection diversity are required.<>