Distributed MAC in an uncoordinated radio environment

In a communication network comprising a plurality of units and having a distributed Multiple Access Control (MAC) protocol, wherein data is exchanged between units during at least some of the time slots in a succession of time slots, an apparatus for establishing a particular network configuration comprising:

• a transmitter component in one of said units designated as a supervisory unit;
• a first control mechanism in said supervisory unit for operating said transmitter component to transmit a specified instruction only during a selected time slot comprising a supervisory priority slot, said instruction disposed to establish said particular network configuration;
• a receiver component in each of the remaining non-supervisory units;
• and
• a second control mechanism in each of said non-supervisory units for operating the respective receiver components therein to monitor transmissions from said supervisory unit transmitter during each of said supervisory priority slots.