In statistical time division multiplexing, contention is a media access method that is used to share a broadcast medium.
In contention, any computer in the network can transmit data at any time (first come-first served).
An alternative method to handle collisions in a contention-based system is to attempt to avoid them.
Collisions are a condition that arises when two or more data stations attempt to transmit at the same time over a shared channel, or when two data stations attempt to transmit at the same time in a half duplex communication link.
Examples of such protocols are: In telecommunication, the term contention also has the following less usual meanings: