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

This letter examines the dynamic characteristics of the randomized slotted ALOHA (RSA) protocol that is commonly employed in contention-based reservat ion multiaccess schemes. The average drift (or expected packet flow) is der ived 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 m any random access schemes (RSA) possesses exactly one equilibrium point eve n when the channel load estimate is inaccurate. However, any under-estimati on in the channel load increases the equilibrium backlog (and reduces the a verage throughput) at a rate faster than when the channel load is overestim ated. The protocol can achieve stable, nonzero throughput without the need for channel feedback information.