Medium access control layer

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief but comprehensive overview of the Medium Access Control layer of the major wireless communication network categories that have adopted the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access Physical layer. The network categories considered are Wireless Local Area Networks and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, also known as WiMAX, networks. In both cases, emphasis is given in the areas of wireless channel access, scheduling and resource allocation, whose operation is based on the inherent characteristics of the OFDM and OFDMA Physical layer. Finally, the performance improvement capabilities that the cross-layer design paradigm can offer to OFDM and OFDMA wireless communication networks are investigated through a brief literature review. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.