A QoS-aware MAC for multichannel cognitive radio networks

Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols exploit sensing algorithm to build up a spectrum opportunity map (cognitive sensing). In this paper, we propose a quality of service (QoS)-aware MAC protocol for multi-channel cognitive radio networks. Specifically, based on the channel utilization patterns of primary users (PUs), secondary users (SUs) adopt different channel reporting and data transmission policies to satisfy their QoS requirements. An analytical method has also been developed and presented to evaluate the performance of QA-MAC. Extensive simulations validate our analysis and demonstrate its performance benefits in throughput.