Distributed communications in collision channels with errors

Analysis of distributed communication networks in noisy collision channels is given. Both feedback and feedforward channel errors are considered. Finite number of buffered users is addressed. It is shown that channel errors lead to stabilization of unstable access control protocols, i.e., to elimination of the saturation phenomena and to stabilization of a network in a unique, globally asymptotically stable steady state with relatively high performance characteristics. Thus, channel noise, possibly introduced intentionally, could be viewed as a decentralized stabilizing controller.