Leveraging Multiple Channels in Ad Hoc Networks

We examine the utility of multiple channels of communication in wireless networks under the SINR model of interference. The central question is whether the use of multiple channels can result in linear speedup, up to some fundamental limit. We answer this question affirmatively for the data aggregation problem, perhaps the most fundamental problem in sensor networks. To achieve this, we form a hierarchical structure of independent interest, and illustrate its versatility by obtaining a new algorithm with linear speedup for the node coloring problem.