Technical approach
WIP’s vision requires the adoption of a
disruptive approach for Internet that:
- rethinks the overall architecture with wireless networks as the central technology
- proposes a new interconnection architecture founded on the principles
of all-wireless networks with some isolated wired long-haul links.
Key Issues
- Mesh networking. An all-wireless network requires advanced interconnection architectures, especially those based on mesh networking. The WIP project will design a scalable solution with new topology and routing schemes for dynamically connecting a new node (or an access point) to the global infrastructure.
- Cross-layer optimization. Much of the complexity in wireless networks comes from the unpredictability of the air medium. It is then important to understand how information from lower layers can be used at higher layers to optimize transmissions (cross-layer).
- Spectrum Assignment. Open spectrum sharing, spectrum etiquette, opportunistic re-use of licensed frequency bands, and the way spectrum is regulated must be carefully addressed by WIP.
- Communities. The wireless interconnection architecture will be built upon the concept of communities. A community is a network structured around users with common interests or properties. Interconnecting different community networks with clear rules of participation requires exploring new management protocols, like rules for resource usage reporting and collaboration.
- Experimental approach. Most of the current work on protocols and architectures for wireless mobile and ad hoc networks is based on theoretical design and/or simulation studies. One of the major contributions of WIP is experimentation. Unlike many existing projects, WIP will develop testbeds and validate the proposed architecture through measurements under real conditions. The validation of the Radio Internet will be based on experimental design at all layers.
September 03, 2007, at 12:29 PM -
