  Transmission over multiple frequency bands combined into one logical channel
speeds up data transfer for wireless networks. On the other hand, the
allocation of multiple channels to a single user decreases the probability of
finding a free logical channel for new connections, which may result in a
network-wide throughput loss. While this relationship has been studied
experimentally, especially in the WLAN configuration, little is known on how to
analytically model such phenomena. With the advent of Opportunistic Spectrum
Access (OSA) networks, it is even more important to understand the
circumstances in which it is beneficial to bond channels occupied by primary
users with dynamic duty cycle patterns. In this paper we propose an analytical
framework which allows the investigation of the average channel throughput at
the medium access control layer for OSA networks with channel bonding enabled.
We show that channel bonding is generally beneficial, though the extent of the
benefits depend on the features of the OSA network, including OSA network size
and the total number of channels available for bonding. In addition, we show
that performance benefits can be realized by adaptively changing the number of
bonded channels depending on network conditions. Finally, we evaluate channel
bonding considering physical layer constraints, i.e. throughput reduction
compared to the theoretical throughput of a single virtual channel due to a
transmission power limit for any bonding size.
