A capacity bound for mmWave-based channel access in ultra-dense wearable deployments

In this paper, we address mmWave (millimeter-wave) channel access protocols operating in extremely high frequency bands. We argue that the anticipated mass use of wearable wireless devices over such protocols is likely to soon produce ultra-dense personal network deployments, especially in commuter scenarios. To this end, this work primarily focuses on a specific area of interest, where wearable devices all hear each other. By introducing an adequate mmWave-based protocol abstraction model, we are interested in characterizing the system capacity bound for the entire class of possible channel access schemes. In particular, we establish a lower bound on system operation by thoroughly investigating a decentralized random-access model. Given that its asymptotic behavior is determined by a simple and elegant expression, the obtained performance estimate may serve as a useful reference for subsequent performance optimization. Therefore, our results constitute an important building block, which allows accounting for more realistic directional antenna patterns, as well as aids in future protocol design.