Information-aware access network selection

Mobile devices are increasingly presented with multiple connectivity options, including WiFi hotspots, micro-/macro-cells or even other devices in device-to-device (D2D) communications. By and large, connectivity management for mobile devices has primarily focused on contention, congestion and wireless medium conditions. In this paper, we assess the role of information-centrism in mobile device connectivity management. Motivated by the increasing availability of content and services in in-network caches and micro-data centres, we design an access network selection scheme that takes into account information availability within each connectivity option. Our simulations show that information-awareness results in a significant increase of cache hit ratios by up to 115% in certain scenarios.