Fast Nonadaptive Deterministic Algorithm for Conflict Resolution in a Dynamic Multiple-Access Channel

Abstract

A classical problem in addressing a decentralized multiple-access channel is resolving conflicts when a set of stations attempt to transmit at the same time on a shared communication channel. In a static scenario, i.e., when all stations are activated simultaneously, Komlós and Greenberg [IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 31 (1985), pp. 302--306] in their seminal work showed that it is possible to resolve the conflict among $k$ stations from an ensemble of $n$, with a nonadaptive deterministic algorithm in time $O(k + k \log(n/k))$ in the worst case. In this paper we show that in a dynamic scenario, when the stations can join the channel at arbitrary rounds, there is a nonadaptive deterministic algorithm guaranteeing a successful transmission for each station in only a slightly bigger time: $O(k\log n\log\log n)$ in the worst case. This almost matches the $\Omega(k\log n/\log k)$ lower bound by Greenberg and Winograd [J. ACM, 32 (1985), pp. 589--596] that holds even in much stronger settings: for adaptive algorithms, in the static scenario, and with additional channel feedback--collision detection. In terms of channel utilization, our result implies throughput, understood as the average number of successful transmissions per time unit, $\Omega(1/(\log n\log\log n))$ on the dynamic deterministic channel.