Viral Communications Viral Comms WG: The Viral Community David P. Reed Andy Lippman May, 2007

Viral Communications Challenge: What does it mean for humans to be able to construct networks shaped by their natural communities?

Viral Communications Viral Networks Scalable Incremental Value-Enabling Socially-Constructed, User-driven

Viral Communications Viral Technologies Explored Radio Magic – radio networks that cooperate by sensing and adapting to their physical environment and user needs – software-defined physical layer radio Peer Multicast – exploit “gossip” Multiconnectivity – every device has many interfaces Viral Overlay – build on what's already there Contributory infrastructure – to share the answer

Viral Communications Radio Magic Melange – a wireless LAN protocol that exploits the capabilities of GNU software radio platform, more scalable and adaptable than WiFi. Multiple Identity – user-controlled RFID, allowing users to negotiate with their institutional environment

Viral Communications Peer Multicast TV Rewired – peer-to-peer, real-time content distribution without servers, providing resilient and scalable distribution for communities of any size and scale Snap and Share – asynchronous multicast of information based on opportunities to connect Fluid Voice - “pull to listen” - put the receivers in control of conferencing and collaboration Xcast – peer-to-peer local content production and distribution

Viral Communications Contributory Infrastructure XO Mesh – exploiting and scaling the mesh network built into the $100 laptop, to meet the needs of kids Community Storage – serverless storage that packs 10 lbs of books in a 3 lb laptop UniPlug – community contributes the means to construct multi-device systems

Viral Communications Themes Intelligence is cheap and fast and portable (sense, adapt, evolve) The network context exists everywhere (context can be presumed) Can put the user or endpoint back in charge

Viral Communications Viral Overlay Virtual Mobile Internet - “proto LTF” –Virtualize heterogeneous transport –Virtualize location Peers: Overlay peer-to-peer stream distribution Loops: Overlay distributed event and sensor data distribution

Viral Communications A Viral Proto-LTF Campus Carrier Virtual Mobile Internet; Peers; Loops; Unified Sensors; Unified Identity & Auth Carrier interface; portable platforms; development env Carrier integration; MIT-MVNO; MIT gateway WiMax testbed; accessible processing; Spot beam “Cooperative SDR” PCS Data

Viral Communications Liquidity of connection MIT Internet MIT MVNO “WiMax/Mesh” to Boston/Cambridge Spot beams

Viral Communications Liquidity of identity “Personal router” Initially embodied in Amulet User-controlled identity and interaction

Viral Communications Liquid context & environment UniPlug adapts “legacy” technology Contributory – everyone in community helps

Viral Communications Looking forward: Multiconnectivity Laptops, phones have multiple radios Environment has multiple “access modes” SDR coming into its own “Tussle” for control of/by the individual Explore: how to choose mode based on context and goal