On the use of multiple hops in next generation cellular architectures

Multi-hop cellular architectures are being explored for use in future fourth generation (4G) cellular networks. This paper is a step towards identifying desirable features of such multi-hop architectures. Towards this end, we compare two network architectures which have been proposed to improve the throughput of packet data cellular networks viz. the hybrid wireless network (HWN) architecture proposed by Hsieh and Sivakumar (see Proc. ACM SIGMETRICS 2001, Cambridge, MA, USA, June 2001) and the multi-hop cellular network (MCN) architecture proposed Lin and Hsu (see Proc. IEEE INFOCOM 2000, Tel-Aviv, Israel, March 2000) and by Ananthapadmanabha, Manoj and Siva Ram Murthy (see IEEE PIMRC 2001, San Diego, USA, October 2001). We extend the HWN architecture (proposed only for operation over a single cell by Hsieh and Sivakumar) to multiple cells. We present an analysis of the MCN architecture to gain additional insights into its operation. We also present simulations to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the two architectures. Based on these simulations, we suggest modifications to improve the performance of both architectures. We identify issues relating in general to the inclusion of ad hoc features (multiple hops) into cellular architectures.