Multi-channel Coordination Based MAC Protocols in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs): A Survey

Abstract

Multi-channel communications protocols in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is a very important topic that has been attracting the research community in the last decade. These communication protocols are based on the latest standard draft IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4, in which the channel is divided into multiple channels (i.e., control channel (CCH) and service channels (SCHs)) in order to improve open public road safety services, comfort and efficiency of driving. There are several survey papers that present and compare the Multi-channel communication protocols from various perspectives, but a survey on Multi-channel coordination based MAC protocols in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is still missing. In this work, we provide a comparative study of the existing literature on multi-channel coordination based MAC protocols in vehicular Ad Hoc Networks. We first define suitable criteria to classify existing solutions, and then describe them by separately addressing a set of protocols in order to compare them. We conclude the paper by addressing some open issues that need to be tackled in future studies.