IAMLO: An Immediate-Access Multi-Link Operation for Improving Throughput in Heterogeneous IEEE 802.11be Networks

Multi-Link Operation (MLO), introduced in IEEE 802.11be, enables devices to access multiple channels simultaneously and has garnered significant attention for its potential performance benefits. However, extensive studies have confirmed that the introduction of multi-link devices (MLDs) into wireless networks significantly reduces the throughput of non-MLDs. Therefore, we propose a novel immediate-access MLO (IAMLO) that additionally enables MLDs to perform single-link transmissions. Moreover, we develop an analytical model that characterizes the performance of a heterogeneous network composed of devices employing the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF), Uplink OFDMA-based Random Access (UORA), and a hybrid scheme that integrates UORA with MLO. The model aligns closely with the simulation results and confirms that IAMLO mitigates throughput degradation in non-MLDs and ensures compatibility between UORA and MLO, while achieving an overall throughput improvement ranging from 8% to 51% compared to existing schemes.