In this presentation, we focus on the study of the multi-access channel from the perspective of a network. Viewed in the context of a wireless network, the multi-access channel exhibits complex behavior with facets that have not been considered before. Specifically, we focus on the issue of delay “stability”, on the distinction between “bits” and “packets”, and on the fact that the notion of a network link is a fuzzy concept that is basically a component of the multi-access channel. We address these issues first in a single-receiver, classic model and then in more general models. We pay special attention to the relay channel model and we introduce the substantial and substantive role played by network coding in a wireless environment.