NC-CELL: Network coding-based content distribution in cellular networks for cloud applications

The popularity of cloud applications surged in the last years. Billions of mobile devices remain always connected. Location services, online games, social networking and navigation are a just few examples of "always on" cloud applications in which the same or partially overlapping content is delivered to multiple users. In this paper, we propose a technique, called NC-CELL, which uses network coding to foster content distribution in mobile cellular networks. Specifically, NC-CELL implements a software module at mobile base stations (or eNodeBs) which scans in transit traffic and looks for opportunities to code packets destined to different mobile users together. The proposed approach can significantly improve cell throughput and is particularly relevant for delay tolerant content distribution.