Analogue network coding-aided game theoretic medium access control protocol for energy-efficient data dissemination

In this study, a novel medium access scheme based on analogue network coding for data dissemination in wireless networks is presented. Following our previous work, where energy-efficient medium access strategies based on game theory have been introduced, we propose a medium access control protocol that exploits to the maximum the recent advances in network coding (NC) domain to enhance the system performance. In particular, ZigZag decoding techniques are applied to resolve the data packet collisions, whereas random linear NC is employed to eliminate the need for exchanging control packets. The proposed protocol, evaluated by both analytical and simulation results, is proven to improve the energy efficiency in the network without compromising the provided quality of service.