Coupons: wide scale information distribution for wireless ad hoc networks

Integrating ad hoc networks into the Internet requires a number of difficult technical challenges to be overcome. In particular, ad hoc networks must not only overcome intermittent connectivity, but they also need a strong incentive mechanism to encourage users to participate in the cooperative relay of data traffic. We believe that inherent in solving these problems is the development of new applications that might, in fact, be more easily deployed in an ad hoc environment than in a traditional fixed network infrastructure. To this end, we develop and evaluate the idea of "coupons" for wide-scale information distribution in ad hoc networks. "Coupons" provide a simple incentive to nodes for relaying a piece of information. By using mechanisms on top of basic flooding to control distribution efficiently, the concept provides an elegant solution for scalable data dissemination with reduced network costs.