Medium access protocol for wireless LANs

A method for controlling access to a radio communications medium shared by at least three agents to provide peer-to-peer communications therebetween, comprising the steps of:

• sensing the communications medium at a first agent to determine if the communications medium is in use;
• transmitting from the first agent, if the first agent determines that the communications medium is not in use, a request-to-send message that includes reservation duration information;
• receiving the request-to-send message at a second agent;
• transmitting from the second agent a clear-to-send message including reservation duration information on behalf of the first agent;
• receiving at least one of the request-to-send message and the clear-to-send message at a third agent;
• transmitting information from the first agent to the second agent while a reservation duration indicated by the reservation duration information has not elapsed;
• and
• receiving the information at the second agent;
• whereby a third agent within receiving range of only one of the first and second agents receives the reservation duration information.