Adaptive RS codes for message delivery over an encrypted mobile network

The authors present a hybrid automatic repeat request technique using adaptive Reed-Solomon (RS) codes with packet erasure. This technique suits the transport layer in tactical mobile wireless networks with type I encryption, where encryption erasures the entire Internet protocol packet. The novelty of the presented technique is the multifaceted optimisation of Reed-Solomon codes at the transport layer for delivery assurance, speed of service (SoS) and network throughput. With this technique, the transport layer in tactical networks can meet the stringent requirements of quality of service imposed by the tactical network user, even under adverse conditions. These requirements define a high level of reliability (delivery assurance), a specific SoS and optimum use of the limited bandwidth (BW) of the wireless network, where the probability of packet erasure can be very high. The provided probabilistic analysis shows that focusing on network throughput alone will result in violating SoS and delivery assurance requirements. On the other hand, focusing on SoS and delivery assurance requirements can result in poor network throughput. The multifaceted optimisation technique, which utilises hybrid ARQ for message delivery, is described using a homogeneous Markov chain.