Wireless Networks: A Mobile Broadband Infrastructure

The rapid deployment and self organization have turned ad hoc networks into a viable solution to a diverse domain of applications. Ad hoc networking will play a major role in the Any Where Any Time generation of future wireless communications. However, existing ad hoc networks are not yet ready for such a transition. In this context, the scalability and broadband capabilities represent major challenges that demand immediate but serious attention. The infrastructureless organization of ad hoc networks takes a big toll on the performance and related quality features. While current infrastructured ad hoc networks perform more efficiently than those without infrastructure, they still have major problems and cannot ensure a safe leap to the next generation of wireless communications. In this book, major challenges imposed by future ad hoc networks are investigated and a two-layer broadband infrastructure is proposed. The design of the proposed infrastructure is motivated by the role of ad hoc networks in the next generation of wireless systems and the expected demands on high capacity communications.