Cell-torrent: a hybrid file-sharing model for wireless networks

In this paper, we consider the challenges imposed by concurrently downloading popular files from the Internet by multiple users in a wireless environment. We introduce a hybrid file-sharing system called cell-torrent, which aims to optimize the use of the expensive and scarce cellular connection by benefiting from the surrounding peers sharing the same file. The proposed system proved, through simulation experiments, to substantially improve both the average download time and the cellular bandwidth utilization especially in the flash-crowd situation.