A Survey of Opportunistic Networks

TLDR

Opportunistic networks are challenged networks with intermittent contacts or highly variable link performance, lacking a complete path most of the time and featuring unstable, rapidly changing routes. The paper discusses research challenges in opportunistic networks. Communication is enabled by intermediate nodes storing data during blackouts and forwarding it when connectivity resumes.

Abstract

We define an opportunistic network as one type of challenged networks where network contacts are intermittent or where link performance is highly variable or extreme. In such a network, there does not exist a complete path from source to destination for most of the time. In addition, the path can be highly unstable and may change or break quickly. Therefore, in order to make communication possible in an opportunistic network, the intermediate nodes may take custody of data during the blackout and forward it when the connectivity resumes. In this paper, we discuss some research challenges in an opportunistic network.