“The idea is to make better use of the cell reception you have,” says Mark Claypool, professor of Computer Science.
In a time when cell phones are an ubiquitous part of our lives, that is something we can all get behind. Despite constant improvements in technology, we can all still relate to the experience of a dropped call or a long download time that eventually times out. Because of that, Claypool is looking to improving TCP, the main network protocol used on the Internet. His research project, which was awarded a grant from Verizon Communications, Inc., is entitled “Evaluating and Improving Performance of TCP Verizon Wireless Radio Access Networking Using NS-3 with LibOS.”
Other perks?
Downloads to a phone will be faster. Videos watched on your phone will be smoother and higher quality. Apps and email will download faster. Some Web browsing will be faster, too.
Under this grant, Claypool will develop TCP performance optimization code for Verizon’s 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. The research team will create a network test environment, evaluate existing protocols, and produce a customized TCP congestion control protocol.