Network coding

The elusive capacity of networksCalculating the total capacity of a data network is a notoriously difficult problem, but information theorists are beginning to make some headway.

Secure, synchronized, social TVA technique called network coding could protect users’ privacy and providers’ content while making communications networks more efficient.

Explained: Ad hoc networksDecentralized wireless networks could have applications in distributed sensing and robotics and maybe even personal communications.

Rethinking networkingMIT researchers helped develop a theory that promised much more efficient data networks; then they were the first to put it into practice.

The power of ‘random’A ‘seemingly loopy’ technique that MIT researchers helped develop could dramatically improve the efficiency of communications networks.