Modeling and Verification of Cooperation Incentive Mechanisms in User-Centric Wireless Communications

User-centric wireless networks are characterized by a community-scale objective aiming at the shared provision of user-generated services and contents. This may be contrasted by the reticence of individuals to share the limited resources of mobile devices. Hence, cooperation incentives play a key role to promote prosocial decisions and to isolate selfish nodes and cheating behaviors. In particular, trust-based incentives and remuneration are used to induce collaborative behaviors in Wi-Fi communities. Typically, these mechanisms are based on reputation infrastructures and virtual currency systems, the application of which should not hinder the normal operation of the network. In this chapter, the authors present an approach to the combined use of indirect rewards deriving from trust-based incentives and direct rewards deriving from remuneration. The effectiveness and efficiency of such an approach in the setting of user-centric wireless networks is verified by conducting a formal study of the benefits of the joint application of these rewards and of the related impact upon performance.