Ethernet-based interworking between HiperLAN/2 and HiperMAN: performance evaluation of the congestion control mechanism

This paper addresses the issue of efficient interworking between High Performance Local Area Network, type 2 (HiperLAN/2) and High Performance Metropolitan Area Network (HiperMAN) standards. An interworking mechanism between these two standards, which is able to guarantee quality of service (QoS) through the whole system, represents an interesting solution to the indoor extension of the coverage that can be provided by a broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) system. In this framework, several possible interworking methods can be envisaged. An Ethernet-based approach is preferable to a bridging at Internet protocol (IP) level or data link control (DLC) level, since it allows a certain level of QoS guarantee without requiring major changes in the existing standards. However, this method allows negotiating QoS requirements during the creation of a new interworking connection in a static manner, without any dynamic adaptation of the QoS parameters that is necessary to optimize the management of some congestion conditions. In order to remove this limitation, a new congestion control mechanism has been proposed. In this paper, the performance of the interworking mechanism with and without congestion control is compared in different scenarios of interest.