Contention Based Medium Access Control Protocol for Point-To-Multipoint Backhaul Networks in the 3.65 GHz Band

The Unrestricted Contention-Based Protocol (CBP) implemented in release 1.1 complies with the FCC requirements for the 3.65 – 3.7 GHz band. This feature allows the adjacent networks to share the same (unlicensed) radio channel with other wireless communication devices. The protocol is based on a collision-avoidance mechanism similar to CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) used in IEEE 802.11. The rule of CBP is to listen before any attempt to transmit over the air and defer the transmission if the interference level exceeds a certain threshold. This paper evaluates the performance of the CBP protocol for point-to-multi points backhaul networks.