Performance bounds for large wireless networks with mobile nodes and multicast traffic

We investigate the traffic-carrying capabilities of wireless ad hoc networks with a large number of mobile nodes, under multicast traffic, packet delay constraints, and a general model for fading. We consider n nodes, each creating packets that must be delivered to around n ^a (with 0 < a < 1) of the rest of the nodes, chosen at random. We show that a simple time division scheme can achieve an aggregate throughput (measured at the destinations) on the order of n ^a-ε, for any ε > 0, and with a finite bound on the packet delay that does not increase with n. Higher throughputs are also possible, but at the expense of packet delays that increase with n. In particular, we present a scheme that achieves an aggregate throughput on the order of n ^1+d/2-ε for any ε > 0, provided we tolerate packet delays on the order of n ^d. With both schemes, nodes require no global topology or routing information, and only a minimal level of coordination. Our results hold with probability going to 1 as the number of nodes goes to infinity.