Information-Centric Connectivity

Mobile devices are often presented with multiple connectivity options, usually making a selection either randomly or based on the wireless medium's conditions, as is the case for current offloading schemes. In this article we propose that link-layer connectivity can be associated with information availability and in this respect connectivity decisions should be information-aware. To achieve information awareness at the link layer, we leverage on the information-centric networking paradigm and introduce the concept of information-centric connectivity (ICCON). We elaborate on different types of information availability and connectivity decisions in the context of ICCON, present specific use cases, and discuss emerging opportunities, challenges, and technical approaches. We illustrate the potential benefits of ICCON through preliminary simulation and numerical results in an example use case.