Feeders-TDMA: a distributed-control algorithm for satellite channel capacity assignment in a mixed traffic and faded environment

This paper presents Faded Environments Effective Distributed Engineering Redundant Signalling (FEEDERS), an access scheme for sharing, in time division multiple access (TDMA) mode, the capacity of a satellite channel among a number of stations, on the basis of user demand. This scheme and its companion Distributed Allocation with Request In Fixed Slots (DRIFS), result from a study carried out by the authors on distributed-control protocols for geostationary satellite access. Both protocols derive from the Fifo Ordered Demand Assignment/Information Bit Energy Adapter (FODA/IBEA) centralized-control system and have the same features. The distributed technique to compute the capacity allocation adopted by FEEDERS improves some performance in FODA/IBEA, but raises a problem about system stability. Techniques to solve this problem are presented, together with system performance. A comparison is also made with the FODA/IBEA system.