On Wireless Social Community Networks

—Wireless social community networks are emerging as a new alternative to provide wireless data access in urban areas. By relying on users in the network deployment, a wireless community can rapidly deploy a high-quality data access infrastructure in an inexpensive way. But, the coverage of such a network is limited by the set of access points deployed by the users. Currently, it is not clear if this paradigm can serve as a replacement of existing centralized networks operating in licensed bands (such as cellular networks) or if it should be considered as a complimentary service only. This question currently concerns many wireless network operators. In this paper, we study the dynamics of wireless social community networks using a simple analytical model. In this model, users choose their service provider based on the subscription fee and the offered coverage. We show how the evolution of social community networks depends on their initial coverage, the subscription fee, and the user p...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: INFOCOM
• Authors: Mohammad Hossein Manshaei, Julien Freudiger, Márk Félegyházi, Peter Marbach, Jean-Pierre Hubaux
• Keywords: Communications, INFOCOM 2008, Social Community, Social Community Networks, Wireless Social Community