A novel medium access Control Protocol for radio-over-fiber access networks

Radio over fiber (RoF) technology is considered as an energy and cost-effective solution to cover the users' rapidly increasing demands for bandwidth and mobility. However, integration of a wireless and an optical network into a hybrid one needs the design of new protocols. In this work, a novel MAC protocol based on the MultiPoint Control Protocol (MPCP) is proposed. The network's decision center receives feedback from the mobile clients via MPCP's GATE/REPORT mechanism so as to efficiently allocate the bandwidth and the wavelength resources in a dynamic manner. The proposed MAC protocol adapts its operation according to the actual client traffic demands. Simulation results reveal the superior performance of the proposed protocol compared to other similar competing proposals reported in the literature.