Automatic-repeat request (ARQ) protocols are used to provide reliable communication in wireless networks. In this paper the throughput of the basic selective-repeat (SR) ARQ in block fading environments is derived. Singleantenna ARQ systems employing coherent BPSK and noncoherent BFSK are analyzed over block fading channels characterized by Nakagami fading distribution. Moreover, the performance of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) ARQ systems employing space-time block codes (STBCs) is derived. The effect of antenna correlation in MIMO ARQ systems is investigated analytically. Results show that longer channel memory lengths improve the performance of basic ARQ protocols. As the fading severity increases, the performance improvement resulting from increasing the channel memory length increases.
Salam A. Zummo