Contention
From Free net encyclopedia
In telecommunication, the term contention has the following meanings:
- A condition that arises when two or more data stations attempt to transmit at the same time over a shared channel, or when two data stations attempt to transmit at the same time in two-way alternate communication.
- A contention can occur in data communications when no station is designated a master station. In contention, each station must monitor the signals and wait for a quiescent condition before initiating a bid for master status.
- Competition by users of a system for use of the same facility at the same time. The term contention ratio applies specifically to the number of people connected to an ISP who share a set amount of bandwidth.
A contention Ratio, is the termed used in broadband communication, to allocate bandwidth where there is more than one user. This is typically 50:1, for home user (that is to say that 50 people or lines will vie for the same bandwidth) and 20:1 for business users.