Visible light communication networks MAC layer solutions: open issues and trends

Visible light communication (VLC) network is an appropriate solution to meet the 5G and 6G. It can overcome the spectrum scarcity and capacity in the radio frequency (RF) networks. This network faces some challenges. Obstacles can break links and disconnect the network. Mobile nodes cannot receive data continuously because the transmitters have few fields of view. Using common MAC solutions in wireless networks does not solve VLC network problems. VLC MAC solutions should solve deafness, hidden node, full-duplex capability, channel utilization, and connectivity. This paper provided a survey in MAC layer solutions in VLC networks based on the systematic literature review (SLR). The methods have been recently published from 2011 to 2021. We analyzed analytically and statistically and the technical taxonomy presented with the SLR process according to the proposed solutions. Solutions were categorized into half-duplex, full-duplex, cooperative, and VLC/RF categories. Also, other proposed methods were described briefly. We explained the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each method. MAC layer design challenges in VLC networks were discussed to fill the gap in the previous literature. By classification and problem analysis, fewer attention topics that need more research were extracted. We found that fairness and reliability metrics received less attention and dynamic resource allocation was the main context in the VLC MAC solutions. Finally, future research challenges and open issues in VLC MAC solutions were proposed.