New transmission system and algorithm could improve wireless data transfer

MIT Technology Review : Multipath TCP (transmission control protocol) is a communications technique that uses multiple wireless networks simultaneously, such as both 4G and WiFi signals on a phone. The general idea behind multipath TCP is that data streams are split across multiple available signals in order to ensure uninterrupted transmission. However, balancing data streams across signals that have different strengths or that transmit at different speeds can be complicated. Data can still be lost and transmission can be slower than if only a single signal were used. A new algorithm called network coding may provide the solution by combining data packets in a way that reduces data losses and increases redundancy. An international team from MIT and National University of Ireland in Maynooth found that the algorithm increases transmission speed tenfold across individual data signals. They then tested the algorithm for use on multipath TCP transmission and saw a similar level of improvement. Several companies have already begun commercializing the combined technologies.