Enhanced Dynamic Beamwidth Selection-based THz MAC Protocol for Wireless Data Center Networks
This study addresses the performance trade-off between throughput and link distance in terahertz wireless data center networks caused by fixed beamwidths. To overcome this limitation, the authors propose a distance-aware dynamic beamwidth adaptation mechanism, termed DBS-ADAPT, which—unlike prior approaches—enables real-time adjustment of beamwidth based on node separation within the terahertz MAC protocol, thereby maximizing throughput while maintaining adequate coverage. An enhanced variant, EDBS-ADAPT, is further introduced to substantially reduce beam switching and control overhead. Extensive simulations using the NS-3 terahertz module demonstrate that DBS-ADAPT improves average throughput by 22% and reduces latency by 10% compared to baseline protocols, while EDBS-ADAPT achieves a remarkable 95% reduction in beam switching overhead.