Technology Review: arXiv Blog: 2010 Feb 23
Ref: arxiv.org:1002.3757v1: Fast Flooding over ManhattanA new mathematical model shows how the changing web of links between mobile phones could one day form an autonomous network.
One of the features of cellphone networks is that the nodes that distribute information are stationary, even though the phones themselves are not. These kinds of networks have been widely studied and do a good job of distributing voice and data in areas where the infrastructure is well structured and tightly controlled, such as in cities in the developed world. But they require two very different types of component: powerful stationary base stations and small mobile phones.
However, another option is to make all the mobile nodes equally responsible for distributing data. So your mobile phone (or laptop or car) would not only send and receive the data your request but route other people's too. In this case, the network is constantly reforming as the nodes move in and out of contact with each other. The benefit is that the network essentially creates and runs itself. But the challenge is to ensure that each node has the information it needs to efficiently route data.
It's easy to imagine that mobile ad hoc networks should work well in areas where the density of nodes is high, such as city centres. But what happens in the suburbs, when the density of nodes is much lower?
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"A consequence of our result is that flooding over the sparse and highly-disconnected suburb can be as fast as flooding over the dense and connected central zone,"