Connectivity of Cooperative Ad hoc Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a dynamic model of cooperation in ad hoc networks where nodes decide to cooperate based on a game-theoretic approach, analyzing how such cooperation influences network connectivity and stability.

Contribution

It presents a novel framework combining network dynamics with game theory to study cooperation and connectivity in ad hoc networks, including the role of reciprocity.

Findings

Cooperation converges to a stable equilibrium state.

Direct reciprocity effectively promotes cooperation.

The framework applies to D2D proximity services like LTE-Direct.

Abstract

The connectivity properties of ad hoc networks have been extensively studied over the past few years, from local observables, to global network properties. In this paper we introduce a novel layer of network dynamics which lives and evolves on top of the ad hoc network. Nodes are assumed selfish and a snow-drift type game is defined dictating the way nodes decide to allocate their cooperative resource efforts towards other nodes in the network. The dynamics are strongly coupled with the physical network causing the cooperation network topology to converge towards a stable equilibrium state, a global maximum of the total pay-off. We study this convergence from a connectivity perspective and analyse the inherent parameter dependence. Moreover, we show that direct reciprocity can be an efficient incentive to promote cooperation within the network and discuss the analogies between our simple yet tractable framework with D2D proximity based services such as LTE-Direct. We argue that cooperative network dynamics have many application in ICT, not just ad hoc networks, and similar models as the one described herein can be devised and studied in their own right.