Evolution of heterogeneous wireless networks: Towards cooperative networks

Abstract—It is very challenging to implement the envisioned beyond 3G and 4G based on the conventional cellular network architecture. So a central controlled peer-to-peer network ar-chitecture is proposed, which is based on the cooperation of coexisting heterogeneous wireless networks. In the advocated architecture, the mobile terminal is capable of cellular reception of data which is then forwarded or shared among mobile devices within each others ’ proximity over the short-range link. Several cooperative network demonstrators have illustrated the great potential of cooperative networks. It is en emerging trend that coexisting heterogeneous wireless networks will evolve to cooperate with each other to facilitate the centrally controlled P2P cooperative networks. I