DataSpotting: Exploiting Naturally Clustered Mobile Devices to Offload Cellular Traffic

The proliferation of pictures and videos in the Internet is imposing heavy demands on mobile data networks. Though emerging wireless technologies will provide more bandwidth, the increase in demand will easily consume the additional capacity. To alleviate this problem, we explore the possibility of serving user requests from other mobile devices located geographically close to the user. For instance, when Alice reaches areas with high device density - Data Spots - the cellular operator learns Alice's content request, and guides her device to nearby devices that have the requested content. Importantly, communication between the nearby devices can be mediated by cell towers, avoiding many of the known problems of pure ad hoc communication. This paper argues this viability through systematic prototyping, measurements, and measurement-driven analysis.