Contention-based MAC protocols are commonly used in:

Concept

A contention-based medium-access control protocol lets multiple stations share a communication medium without assigning fixed transmission turns.

Stations contend by sensing or attempting access; if attempts overlap, the protocol resolves the collision or avoids it and schedules a later retry, often with randomized backoff.

Application

Classic shared-medium Ethernet uses carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD). A station listens before transmitting, detects an overlapping transmission as a collision, stops, waits for a backoff interval, and then retries. Therefore, among the offered network types, Ethernet networks are associated with contention-based MAC.

Contrast

• Token Ring networks grant transmission permission by circulating a token, which is a controlled-access method.

• ATM networks carry fixed-size cells over connection-oriented virtual circuits and coordinate traffic through switching and multiplexing.

• A point-to-point network has two endpoints on a dedicated logical link, so multiple independent stations do not compete for one shared medium.

Result

The applicable network type is Ethernet networks.