Network management apparatus, network management method, and storage medium for network comprising a plurality of vehicles and plurality of mobile terminals

A network management method executed by a network management apparatus, comprising:

• in a network constituted by a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of mobile terminals having wireless communication functions, detecting a vehicle and a mobile terminal which can be used as a next hop of a predetermined vehicle among the plurality of vehicles, the next hop being for predetermined communication originating from or relayed by the predetermined vehicle;
• when a vehicle and a mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop are detected, predicting a communication stability, as the next hop, of the vehicle that has been detected;
• and
• when the vehicle and the mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop is detected,
• in a case where the communication stability of the vehicle that has been detected is equal to or more than a threshold, selecting the vehicle that has been detected as the next hop;
• in a case where the communication stability of the vehicle that has been detected is less than the threshold, selecting the mobile terminal that has been detected as the next hop;
• and
• when a vehicle which can be used as the next hop is not detected and a mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop is detected, selecting the mobile terminal that has been detected as the next hop.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a network management method comprising:

• in a network constituted by a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of mobile terminals having wireless communication functions, detecting a vehicle and a mobile terminal which can be used as a next hop of a predetermined vehicle among the plurality of vehicles, the next hop being for predetermined communication originating from or relayed by the predetermined vehicle;
• when a vehicle and a mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop are detected, predicting a communication stability, as the next hop, of the vehicle that has been detected;
• and
• when the vehicle and the mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop is detected:
• in a case where the communication stability of the vehicle that has been detected is equal to or more than a threshold, selecting the vehicle that has been detected as the next hop;
• in a case where the communication stability of the vehicle that has been detected is less than the threshold, selecting the mobile terminal that has been detected as the next hop;
• and
• when a vehicle which can be used as the next hop is not detected and a mobile terminal which can be used as the next hop is detected, selecting the mobile terminal that has been detected as the next hop.