The CHARIoT network advances the idea that hybrid wireless networks can draw on the combined strengths of fixed and ad-hoc networks to create a vital architecture for the next generation Internet. Common to the various scenarios of hybrid networks are infrastructure nodes that act as relays for intra-network communications and as gateways for communications with external entities. Infrastructure nodes are typically connected to a powerful "backbone" with high capacity and low latency. Hybrid networks have been proposed in the literature for providing relief to the scalability problem of vanishing per node throughput in ad-hoc wireless networks. However, these studies have also shown that to restore scalable throughput, infrastructure nodes have to scale at the same rate as the user nodes, dooming this approach economically. When multiple users share the same link, wireless channels behave as "leaky pipes" interfering with each other. A totally new dimension is introduced by allowing nodes to cooperate. Cooperation among user or infrastructure nodes has the ability to convert "leaky channels" into high capacity multidimensional manifolds. A central question that CHARIoT seeks to answer is: Can cooperation among infrastructure nodes resolve the scalability problem of hybrid networks in the sense that in a cooperative regime, non-vanishing per node throughput is achievable even when the number of infrastructure nodes scales considerably slower than the number of user nodes?
Intellectual Impact: The proposed research seeks to answer pivotal fundamental and design questions on the role of hybrid networks and cooperative regimes as part of the next generation Internet.
Broader Impact: Advances in wireless technology and consumers demand for unfettered access usher in an era in which personal computing devices will become pervasive. This will lead to new communications paradigms that cannot be addressed by conventional network architectures. CHARIoT will have a broad impact on society by helping to determine whether wireless hybrid networks can play an important role in interconnecting pervasive devices and whether cooperative regimes can facilitate economically sensible designs of these networks. In addition to the impact on society, the extensive research provides an exciting platform for the educational goals of the academic institutions, including activities for both undergraduates and graduate students.
