Automated Trading in Agent-Based Markets for Communication Bandwidth

Nir Vulkan and Chris Preist
International Journal of Electronic Commerce,
Volume 7, Number 4, Summer 2003, pp. 119.


Abstract: Automated agents for electronic markets are very valuable when a large amount of information must be processed quickly or employing human traders is not cost-effective. In markets for communication bandwidth, rights to transmit data are traded through a network. Since demand fluctuates considerably every few seconds, agent-based spot markets provide extra liquidity. This paper considers the design of agents for use in a double auction market for communication bandwidth. The suggested criteria and framework for building adaptive agents are based on statistical decision theory. The proposed agents can differentiate stable from unstable market conditions and respond appropriately.

Key Words and Phrases
: Bandwidth marketplaces, electronic markets, intelligent agents, software agents.