Abstract: A data packet switching network is formed by a number of transmitting/receiving stations which are interconnected by radio communication channels through which data packets can be transferred from one station to another according to a routing scheme. Each station is capable of altering its own access rate and of calculating and transmitting first, second and third parameters. The first parameter is indicative of the respective station's output flow (the number of packets successfully transferred per time unit). The second parameter is indicative of the respective station's input flow increase tendency (a measure based on the output flows of the neighboring stations which the station can relay). The third parameter is indicative of the load of the respective station. In each station, the first parameter is calculated and transmitted at regular time intervals to all neighboring stations in reach of the respective station.

Abstract: A controlled CSMA packet switching system of a non-persistent carrier type in which in the event of a channel being sensed busy, a new sensing point is scheduled at random in a dynamically determined time interval TS.sub.n where ##EQU1## where TS.sub.u is the scheduling time interval that maximizes the expected throughput when all the stations compete for the channel access, TS.sub.1 is the scheduling time interval that maximizes the expected throughput when two stations complete for the channel access, TS.sub.n-1 is a scheduling time interval determined in a preceding (n-1)th observation interval, G.sub.n-1 is the average offered load in the (n-1)th observation interval, and G.sub.o is a nominal average offered load. An estimation of the average offered load G.sub.n-1 is derived from an estimation of the average idle period length in the (n-1) observation interval.