AllNet: using Social Connections to Inform Traffic Prioritization and Resource Allocation

Abstract

AllNet is a new networking protocol designed to provide communication utilizing all available means, including Internet and cellular communications, but when these are not available, also ad-hoc networking and delay-tolerant networking. These latter mechanisms are best for low-bandwidth commu- nications. Effective support of low-bandwidth networking needs message prioritization, which can benefit by knowing whether messages are being sent on behalf of someone to whom the owner of the mobile device is socially connected. By keeping track of the social network of each of the friends of the owner of the mobile device, the device can devote its resources to supporting better quality communication among people its owner cares about, and fewer resources to communication among people its owner doesn’t know. AllNet generalizes this notion by anonymously keeping track of friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends, and so on. Doing this while using only limited communication and storage is the challenge addressed by the AllNet social network connectivity algorithm described and evaluated in this paper.