Cross-layer optimisation for topology design of wireless multicast networks via network coding

One of the main challenges towards reliable multicast transmissions over wireless networks is the dynamics of the wireless links (e.g. wireless errors, fading, interference, collisions, etc.) that can cause retransmissions overhead over the limited available bandwidth. To this end this paper considers the scenario of wireless multicast networks where network coding is applied to improve network throughput. We first propose a novel cross-layer optimisation framework for network topology design in order to optimise the wireless multicast rate, data flow of the wireless links, energy supply and node lifetime. The performance of the proposed solution is evaluated and compared against other solutions from the literature in terms of system throughput, total energy, and network lifetime. The results show that the proposed cross-layer design outperforms the other schemes involved, reaching up to 50% increase in the system throughput.