This brief presents a unified analytical framework for the evaluation of drive-thru Internet performance and accordingly proposes an optimal spatial access control management approach. A comprehensive overview and in-depth discussion of the research literature is included. It summarizes the main concepts and methods, and highlights future research directions. The brief also introduces a novel cooperative vehicular communication framework together with a delicate linear cluster formation scheme and low-delay content forwarding approach to provide a flexible and efficient vehicular content distribution in the drive-thru Internet. The presented medium access control and vehicular content distribution related research results in this brief provide useful insights for the design approach of Wi-Fi enabled vehicular communications and it motivates a new line of thinking for the performance enhancements of future vehicular networking. Advanced-level students, researchers and professionals interested in vehicular networks or coordinated network sharing will find Cooperative Vehicular Communications in the Drive-thru Internet a valuable reference.

Zhou et al. describe a vision of an automobile highway Wi-Fi network, utilizing various IEEE 802.11 standards. The monograph has several well-drawn illustrations and several graphs showing expected results. Each chapter has many references. A list of acronyms is presented . (J. S. Edwards, Computing Reviews, April, 2016)

Autorentext

Haibo Zhou (M’14–SM’18–F’26) received the Ph.D. degree in information and communication engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, in 2014. From 2014 to 2017, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Broadband Communications Research Group, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo. He is currently a Full Professor with the School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. He was a recipient of the 2019 IEEE ComSoc Asia-Pacific Outstanding Young Researcher Award. He served as Publications/Symposium Co-Chair for IEEE/CIC ICCC 2026, IEEE VTC-Fall 2025, IEEE ICC 2024, and IEEE GLOBECOM 2024. He is currently a Fellow of the IEEE, an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, and IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering. His research interests include resource management and protocol design in B5G/6G networks, vehicular ad hoc networks, and space-air-ground integrated networks. Xin Zhang (S’20) received the B.S. degree from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 2020, and the Ph.D. degree from Nanjing University in 2025. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with the School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. Her research interests include space-air-ground integrated networks, resource allocation and convex optimization theory. Weihua Zhuang (M'93–SM'01–F'08) received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Dalian Maritime University, China, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, all in electrical engineering. Since 1993, she has been a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada, where she is a University Professor and a University Research Chair in wireless communication networks. Her current research focuses on network architecture, algorithms and protocols, and service provisioning in future communication systems. She is the recipient of Women's Distinguished Career Award in 2021 from IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, R.A. Fessenden Award in 2021 from IEEE Canada, Award of Merit in 2021 from the Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals (Ontario), and Technical Recognition Award in Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks in 2017 from IEEE Communications Society. Dr. Zhuang is a Fellow of the IEEE, Royal Society of Canada (RSC), Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), and Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC). She is the President and an elected member of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. She was the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2007-2013), an editor of IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (2005-2009), General Co-Chair of IEEE/CIC International Conference on Communications in China (ICCC) 2021, Technical Program Committee (TPC) Chair/Co-Chair of IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference 2017 Fall and 2016 Fall, TPC Symposia Chair of the IEEE Globecom 2011, and an IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer (2008-2011).

Inhalt
Introduction.- Comprehensive Overview of Research Related Issues.- Spatial Coordinated Medium Sharing in the Drive-thru Internet.- Cooperative Vehicular Content Distribution in the Drive-thru Internet.- Conclusion and Future Research Directions.