Multiple access algorithms for a system with mixed traffic: high and low-priority

A system in which a single channel is shared by both high- and low-priority data is analyzed. The analysis is based on the following assumptions: packet transmissions occur from both data categories and slotted channel, as well as binary, collision versus noncollision, feedback per slot, and limited feedback sensing capabilities for all users in the system. The high-priority data are generated by a well-defined finite-number user population. The limit Poisson user model (infinitely many independent Bernoulli users) is adopted for the low-priority traffic. A transmission algorithm that is a deterministic tree search is proposed and analyzed for the high-priority users, while a random-access algorithm is adopted for the low-priority traffic. The algorithm is stable for both traffic classes. It guarantees a strict upper bound on the delays of the high-priority packets, and induces good throughput-delay characteristics for the low-priority data