High Throughput Random Access via Codes on Graphs: Coded Slotted ALOHA

In this paper, coded slotted ALOHA (CSA) is introduced as a powerful random access scheme to the MAC frame. In CSA, the burst a generic user wishes to transmit in the MAC frame is first split into segments, and these segments are then encoded through a local a packet-oriented code prior to transmission. On the receiver side, iterative interference cancellation combined with decoding of the local code is performed to recover from collisions. The new scheme generalizes the previously proposed irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IRSA) technique, based on a simple repetition of the users' bursts. An interpretation of the CSA interference cancellation process as an iterative erasure decoding process over a sparse bipartite graph is identified, and the corresponding density evolution equations derived. Based on these equations, asymptotically optimal CSA schemes are designed for several rates and their performance for a finite number of users investigated through simulation and compared to IRSA competitors. Throughputs as high as 0.8 are demonstrated. The new scheme turns out to be a good candidate in contexts where power efficiency is required.