  In this paper the problem of information dissemination in Mobile Ad-hoc
Networks (MANET) is studied. The problem is to disseminate a piece of
information, initially held by a distinguished source node, to all nodes in a
set defined by some predicate. We use a model of MANETs that is well suited for
dynamic networks and opportunistic communication. In this model nodes are
placed in a plane, in which they can move with bounded speed, and communication
between nodes occurs over a collision-prone single channel. In this setup
informed and uninformed nodes can be disconnected for some time (bounded by a
parameter alpha), but eventually some uninformed node must become neighbor of
an informed node and remain so for some time (bounded by a parameter beta). In
addition, nodes can start at different times, and they can crash and recover.
Under the above framework, we show negative and positive results for different
types of randomized protocols, and we put those results in perspective with
respect to previous deterministic results.
