A cooperative game-theory model for bandwidth allocation in multi-hop wireless networks

The use of multi-hop wireless networks is extensive and growing. Such networks often have no single administrative authority. As such, they are best modeled by game theory. Existing approaches to this problem have focused on competitive game-theory analysis. In this paper we study the problem from the perspective of cooperative game theory. We assume that nodes wish to maximize their individual utility and cooperate solely for the purpose of increasing that utility. By assuming that the utility of a node is equal to its bandwidth, and by adopting the KS-Raiffa solution to cooperation, we are able to compute the fair bandwidth allocation in two-hop wireless networks. We then generalize these results to arbitrary multi-hop wireless networks. By assuming that any node can perform denial-of-service attack on the network, we are able to prove that Raiffa cooperation will result in temporal fairness in the network. Our results suggest that the ideal MAC for a wireless network will be one based on KS-Raiffa solution.