Maximizing Multicast Lifetime with Transmitter-Receiver Power Tradeoff is NP-Hard

The problem of maximizing multicast lifetime (MML) in wireless ad hoc networks is reexamined under a recently proposed transmitter-receiver power tradeoff (TRPT) model, for which the energy consumed by a node to reliably receive a bit is inversely proportional to the energy level at which the bit is transmitted. Under the TRPT model, MML was conjectured to be NP-hard. We herein prove the conjecture under the assumption of bounded and discrete power levels.