What is multipath TCP?

TCP is designed to manage a single network connection. But today’s mobile devices frequently have multiple ways to connect to the internet: for example, both a Wifi connection and a mobile data network. TCP was not designed to switch between these connections seamlessly as required by mobility. And it also cannot take advantage of the increased bandwidth that can be sometimes achieved by using both connections simultaneously. Multipath TCP is a new approach to TCP designed to address these problems.

Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).

Part of the https://www.internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://blue.cse.buffalo.edu) production.