Completion Time in Multi-Access Channel: An Information Theoretic Perspective

TL;DR

This paper characterizes the trade-offs between users' completion times in a two-user Gaussian multi-access channel using an information theoretic approach, introducing the completion time region based on constrained rates.

Contribution

It introduces an information theoretic framework for the completion time region in multi-access channels, extending the capacity region concept to completion times.

Findings

Completion time region characterized for two-user Gaussian MAC.

Trade-offs between users' completion times explicitly described.

Framework generalizes capacity region to completion time analysis.

Abstract

In a multi-access channel, completion time refers to the number of channel uses required for users, each with some given fixed bit pool, to complete the transmission of all their data bits. In this paper, the characterization of the completion time region is based on the concept of constrained rates, where users' rates are defined over possibly different number of channel uses. An information theoretic formulation of completion time is given and the completion time region is then established for two-user Gaussian multi-access channel, which, analogous to capacity region, characterizes all possible trade-offs between users' completion times.