2019 journal article

Mobility As an Alternative Communication Channel: A Survey

IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS, 21(1), 289–314.

By: B. Baron, P. Spathis, M. Amorim, Y. Viniotis n & M. Ammar*

author keywords: Mobility; data transfers; offloading; disruption-tolerant networks; ad-hoc networks; challenged networks
TL;DR: This work reviews the research literature investigating systems in which mobile entities can carry data while they move and suggests application scenarios including offloading traffic off legacy networks for capacity improvement, bridging connectivity gaps, or deploying ad hoc networks in challenging environments for coverage enhancement. (via Semantic Scholar)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: March 11, 2019

We review the research literature investigating systems in which mobile entities can carry data while they move. These entities can be either mobile by nature (e.g., human beings and animals) or mobile by design (e.g., trains, airplanes, and cars). The movements of such entities equipped with storage capabilities create a communication channel which can help overcome the limitations or the lack of conventional data networks. Common limitations include the mismatch between the capacity offered by these networks and the traffic demand or their limited deployment owing to environmental factors. Application scenarios include offloading traffic off legacy networks for capacity improvement, bridging connectivity gaps, or deploying ad hoc networks in challenging environments for coverage enhancement.