(Archived)

The community notion can be exploited as a rational concept leading users to cooperate in sharing resources on Wireless Mesh Networks. We propose a novel concept for self-organizing networks, where multiple entities (network elements or users) collaborate to achieve common goals, and in particular, to establish the basic connectivity and service delivery infrastructures. The resulting architecture is based on wireless mesh communications, with different entities taking different roles in the communities in a cross-layer approach. These communities can collaborate, leading to increasingly complex and geographically extended scenarios.