Aslam SAlam FHasan SRashid M2020-102020-09-2325/09/2020SENSORS, 2020, 20 (19)https://hdl.handle.net/10179/15718Next generation cellular systems need efficient content-distribution schemes. Content-sharing via Device-to-Device (D2D) clustered networks has emerged as a popular approach for alleviating the burden on the cellular network. In this article, we utilize Content-Centric Networking and Network Virtualization to propose a distributed architecture, that supports efficient content delivery. We propose to use clustering at the user level for content-distribution. A weighted multifactor clustering algorithm is proposed for grouping the D2D User Equipment (DUEs) sharing a common interest. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of energy efficiency, area spectral efficiency, and throughput. The effect of the number of clusters on these performance parameters is also discussed. The proposed algorithm has been further modified to allow for a tradeoff between fairness and other performance parameters. A comprehensive simulation study demonstrates that the proposed clustering algorithm is more flexible and outperforms several classical and state-of-the-art algorithms.D2D communicationdistributed architectures5Gcontent-sharingclustering algorithmcontent-centric networkingnetwork virtualizationJournal article10.3390/s201955094349211424-8220Massey_Dark0301 Analytical Chemistry0805 Distributed Computing0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering0502 Environmental Science and Management0602 Ecology