An Enhanced Multiple Random Access Scheme for Satellite Communications

Abstract: In this paper, we introduce Multi-Slots Coded ALOHA (MuSCA) as a multiple random access method for satellite communications. This scheme can be considered as a generalization of the Contention Resolution Diversity Slotted Aloha (CRDSA) mechanism. Instead of transmitting replicas, this system replaces them by several parts of a single word of an error correcting code. It is also different from Coded Slotted ALOHA (CSA) as the assumption of destructive collisions is not adopted. In MuSCA, the entity in charge of the decoding mechanism collects all bursts of the same user (including the interfered slots) before decoding and implements a successive interference cancellation (SIC) process to remove successfully decoded signals. Simulations show that for a frame of 100 slots, the achievable total normalized throughput is greater than 1.25 and 1.4 for a frame of 500 slots, resulting in a gain of 80% and 75% with respect to CRDSA and CSA respectively. This paper is a first analysis of the proposed scheme and opens several perspectives.