  This paper investigates the use of WiFi and mobile device-to-device networks,
with vehicular ad hoc networks being a typical example, as a complementary
means to offload and reduce the traffic load of cellular networks. A novel
cooperative content dissemination strategy is proposed for a heterogeneous
network consisting of different types of devices with different levels of
mobility, ranging from static WiFi access points to mobile devices such as
vehicles. The proposed strategy offloads a significant proportion of data
traffic from cellular networks to WiFi or device-to-device networks. Detailed
analysis is provided for the content dissemination process in heterogeneous
networks adopting the strategy. On that basis, the optimal parameter settings
for the content dissemination strategy are discussed. Simulation and numerical
studies show that the proposed strategy effectively reduces data traffic for
cellular networks while guaranteeing successful content delivery.

Networking and Internet Architecture