Data offloading for multi-hop cellular networks

In this paper, we present an economic model for offloading data from subscribers of a large scale cellular operator to a small scale WLAN in a multi-hop cellular environment. We make use of a hexagonal tessellation deployed with relay elements to model the multi-hop capability. An incentive-based model helps to determine the behavior of the cellular and WLAN operator, as the cellular operator decides to offload its users depending upon the price charged by the WLAN operator for each offloaded user. The simulated results quantify the benefits of collaboration between the operators in terms of the offload ratio, network efficiency, and revenue gains.