Throughput enhancement of IEEE 802.11ad through space-time division multiple access scheduling of multiple co-channel networks

60-GHz millimetre-wave (mm-wave) communication is gradually becoming a promising candidate for the next generation wireless system to meet the demands of mobile applications. To compensate for high path loss, directional links are established in mm-wave communication system, which adds opportunity for spatial reuse. As one of its most promising protocols for commercial production, IEEE 802.11ad standard provides a mechanism to support space-time division multiple access (STDMA) within a single network. However, the interference level among different co-channel networks is much lower than that inside a network, which provides greater potential for spatial reuse. In this study, based on the architecture and timing structure of IEEE 802.11ad, the authors propose a spatial reuse strategy among multiple co-channel networks. They formulate the problem as a mixed-integer non-linear programming problem, and then propose an inter-network STDMA scheduling algorithm, which considers clustering frame structure in IEEE 802.11ad, and combines greedy principle and mutual interference avoidance strategy. Extensive simulation results have shown that the proposed scheme enlarges total throughput in comparison with STDMA inside each network, as well as non-STDMA scheme. Meanwhile, it achieves the lowest packet loss rate under heavy traffic load.