Enhanced Dynamic Beamwidth Selection-based THz MAC Protocol for Wireless Data Center Networks
2026-07-20 • Networking and Internet Architecture
Networking and Internet ArchitectureEmerging Technologies
AI summaryⓘ
The authors study how to improve wireless communication in data centers using terahertz signals, which need very directional antennas to work well but can cause problems when beams are too narrow or wide. They propose a new method called DBS-ADAPT that changes the antenna’s beamwidth based on how far apart devices are, aiming to get better data speeds without losing connection quality. They also introduce an improved version, EDBS-ADAPT, which reduces the overhead caused by switching beamwidths even more. Their simulation tests show these methods increase throughput and lower delays compared to previous approaches, making them good for fast and scalable wireless data centers.
Terahertz (THz) communicationDirectional antennasBeamwidthMAC protocolData centersPath lossNS-3 simulatorThroughputLatencyBeam alignment
Authors
Muhammad Absaruddin, Saim Ghafoor, Mubashir Husain Rehmani
Abstract
Terahertz (THz) wireless communication offers a promising alternative to traditional wired links in data centres (DCs), enabling ultra-high data rates, low latency, and greater scalability. However, THz signals suffer from high path loss, necessitating the use of directional antennas (DAs). While DAs enhance signal strength, they introduce challenges such as deafness and synchronisation, typically addressed through receiver-initiated MAC protocols. Most existing THz MAC protocols use fixed beamwidths, which results in a key performance trade-off: narrow beams improve gain for long-range links but reduce throughput for short distances due to increased alignment overhead, while wide beams benefit short links but degrade performance over longer distances. To overcome this limitation, we propose DBS-ADAPT, a dynamic beamwidth selection-based MAC protocol that adjusts the antenna beamwidth according to the distance between nodes, maximising throughput without compromising link range. We also introduce an enhanced version, EDBS-ADAPT, which further reduces beamwidth switching and control overhead while preserving throughput gains. Both protocols are evaluated using the NS-3 THz module. Simulation results show that DBS-ADAPT improves average throughput by up to 22% and reduces delay up to 10% compared to the baseline ADAPT-3 protocol. EDBS-ADAPT further cuts beamwidth switching overhead by 95%, making it more efficient for scalable and high-performance wireless DC environments.