A multipath redundancy communication framework for enhancing 5G mobile communication quality

As networks increasingly become the backbone of modern society, the demands placed on them by various applications have become more complex. In particular, the demand for high-capacity, low-latency services such as real-time streaming is increasing every year. Although 5G has been deployed to meet these needs, its effectiveness can vary significantly by location and time, and sometimes falls short of requirements. Traditionally, much of the research to improve communication stability has focused on TCP-based systems, which do not translate well to real-time UDP streaming applications. To address the above challenges, we propose a multipath redundant communication framework designed to improve the quality of real-time media streaming. This framework has been tested using multipath redundant communication over two mobile networks with a moving vehicle in an urban environment. Using a real-time streaming application based on WebRTC, our framework demonstrates a significant reduction in packet loss and an increase in bitrate, outperforming existing multipath redundant communication systems without interfering with the application’s congestion control mechanisms. • Proposal of a Framework: The paper proposes a multipath redundant communication framework to improve the streaming quality via multipath redundant communications in 5G networks, particularly focusing on UDP media streaming applications. • Implementation and Verification: The framework has been implemented and verified using multipath communication over two mobile networks, with a vehicle moving in a real experiment, leveraging a real-time streaming application based on WebRTC. • Significant Improvements Demonstrated in a real experiment: Results from the implementation show significant reductions in packet loss and increases in bitrate, which notably outperforms existing multipath redundant communication systems without disrupting the applications’ congestion control mechanisms. • Challenges Addressed: The paper discusses the specific challenges related to the traditional approaches of multipath redundancy, especially in maintaining communication quality across varied network fields and discusses the advantages of the proposed method. • Future Research Directions: The paper concludes by discussing potential future research directions, including the necessity to further evaluate the framework in varied environments to verify its general applicability and latency performance.