In sparse highway vehicular networks, the high probability for network disconnection at the initial stages of introducing the DSRC technology can be mitigated by the deployment of fixed infrastructure points known as Road Side Units (RSU). However, due to the cost associated with the deployment and maintenance of significant numbers of RSUs, it is highly unlikely that the majority of highways will be seeing RSU support in the near future. In this paper we study the impact of specific vehicular network parameters in the communication delays in infrastructure-less highway scenarios: first, the deceleration of vehicles, and consequently, a decrease in their separation from succeeding vehicles; and second, the transmission power of the IEEE 802.11p radio, which can be increased to achieve faster connectivity with the succeeding vehicle. Our results show that the connectivity of sparse vehicular networks can be improved substantially by varying these parameters.
