Precog: action-based time-shifted prefetching for web applications on mobile devices

Abstract

Wireless providers today are highly motivated to improve efficiencies of spectrum usage. One approach to achieve this is to shift the load from expensive cellular networks to cheaper WiFi networks. In this context, we propose Precog, an action-based prefetching solution for time-shifted WiFi offloading. We argue that traditional prefetching solutions, that rely on the URLs visited in the past by a user for predicting future access, are ineffective in today's dynamic, interactive, and personalized web. Precog addresses this issue by remembering, not the exact URL accessed in the past, but the actions performed on a particular website. The actions are remembered as interactions with the content layout, which stays consistent over a long period of time. Unlike prior offloading solutions that require concurrent cellular and WiFi connectivity, Precog offloads cellular content over time-shifted WiFi access. We evaluate Precog over both synthetic and real user datasets to demonstrate its benefits.