Multi-Channel Self-Organized TDMA for Future Aeronautical Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Modernizing communication systems is crucial for the future of aviation, and the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$</tex-math></inline-formula>-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) in Air-Ground (A/G) and Air-Air (A/A) modes is being developed by European and American organizations to meet this need. In this study, we explore possible channel access schemes for aeronautical ad-hoc networks. We propose Multi-Channel Self-Organized TDMA (MCSOTDMA), a novel variant of randomized, reservation-based slotted ALOHA for LDACS A/A. In particular, we prove that it can achieve an optimal delay by following the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\frac{1}{e}$</tex-math></inline-formula>-rule of traditional slotted ALOHA's throughput. This new variant allows users to distributively converge towards an optimal channel access strategy with no a-priori knowledge of their neighborhood. It scales to any number of users and always guarantees a freely chosen, average packet collision probability. We evaluate the performance on the busiest oceanic airspace, and compare it to medium access schemes used in maritime and other aeronautical networks. We demonstrate that arbitrary collision rates can be achieved at the cost of proportional packet delay, establish communication links with deterministic performance, and implement broadcast voice messaging among pilots. We provide access to the simulator and a protocol specification under open licenses, in line with the principles of open science.