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In Korea, Smartphones Use Multipath TCP To Reach 1 Gbps

Posted by timothy on from the modern-life dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Korean users are among the most bandwidth-hungry smartphone users. During the MPTCP WG meeting at IETF'93, SungHoon Seo announced that KT had deployed since mid June a commercial service that allows smartphone users to reach 1 Gbps. This is not yet 5G, but the first large scale commercial deployment of Multipath TCP by a mobile operator to combine fast LTE and fast WiFi to reach up to 1 Gbps. This service is offered on the Samsung Galaxy S6 whose Linux kernel includes the open-source Multipath TCP implementation and SOCKSv5 proxies managed by the network operator. Several thousands of users are already actively using this optional service.

50 comments

  1. So... in other words... by Etcetera · · Score: 2

    In Korea, single-path TCP is only for old people.

    Got it.

    --
    Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
  2. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow, that Kim Jong Un... is there nothing he can't achieve!

  3. Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As a Canadian, I have use for this because we're the 3rd world of communications. Voice plus 1GB of data is like $80/month (bell, rogers, etc -- no wind mobile coverage here)... Even the US has far better prices!

    1. Re:Pointless in Canada by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      As a Canadian, I agree. Cellphone companies here are playing a strange game. As a potential customer, the only winning move is not to pay.

      Anyone want to play a nice game of chess?

      --
      Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
    2. Re:Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Better than it used to be. 10 years ago I was considering using a US phone in roaming mode in Canada. Roaming data charges were lower than what Canadian carriers were charging at that time. It's completely insane. :(

    3. Re:Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Some movie quotes become less awesome when posted on Slashdot. That being one such example.

    4. Re:Pointless in Canada by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      As a Canadian, I agree. Cellphone companies here are playing a strange game. As a potential customer, the only winning move is not to pay.

      Anyone want to play a nice game of chess?

      People wonder why I keep my plan, but it's because years ago (around a decade), Fido (back when they were independent) had two data plans - 100MB or unlimited.

      So yeah, I've been grandfathered into an unlimited plan. And ot be honest, they're going to have a hard time getting me off of it. I mean, getting a contract is silly for me - if I buy an iPhone, getting a no-commitment one means it's unlocked if I buy from Apple, and carriers sell the Nexus phones for ridiculous prices...

    5. Re:Pointless in Canada by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I got lucky as well, as Rogers started having an annual 'sale' around when the new iPhone was released to get 6 Gb of data $30/month. Then, later, when Telus and Bell got together to build their GSM network, Bell also did it, and I jumped on that. Now, they've stopped doing it and for 6Gb of data, it's still around $60/month if you sign up now.

      To much for "competition".

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    6. Re:Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a Canadian, might I suggest trying to get a corporate plan? Rogers 6GB/month plus a ton of long distance and other silly stuff that I have no need for - $60 a month all in.
      Of course thats still more than I ever paid living in Korea, and the cellular infrastructure here is apparently from 1997 (seriously Rogers? 2015 and you still can't give me even 3G when i hit the underground part of Vancouver's sky train?) but other than that....

    7. Re: Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They don't give you LTE on those plans, that's how they plan to eventually get you off.

    8. Re: Pointless in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With my caps I could use 1gbs for about 0.5 seconds.

  4. Not yet 5G? by DarkDaimon · · Score: 1

    It Multipath TCP ever comes to the U.S., I'm sure AT&T will call it 5G.

  5. 1 Gbps by rudy_wayne · · Score: 4, Funny

    So you can exceed your monthly bandwidth quota in an hour or less and be charged for overage in record time.

    1. Re:1 Gbps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Quotas are an American thing. They aren't that common in other places of the world.

    2. Re:1 Gbps by GumphMaster · · Score: 2

      Quotas are an Australian "feature" also. Likely also a New Zealand thing.

      --
      Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
    3. Re:1 Gbps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only if your in the USA. Australia or new Zealand where greed rules over all.

    4. Re:1 Gbps by mlts · · Score: 2

      With multipath TCP, I can hit my quota on the DSL link, the DOCSIS based link, and the cellular link, all simultaneously.

      I'll sign up for that newsletter.

    5. Re:1 Gbps by threephaseboy · · Score: 2

      Quotas are an American thing. They aren't that common in other places of the world.

      So what's all this about then? (click the second tab to view the tiers)

      --
      .
    6. Re: 1 Gbps by donscarletti · · Score: 3, Informative

      China has quotas on all mobile connection providers, but not on home connections. Australia has them on absolutely anything, unless you pay an exorbitant price.

      --
      When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
    7. Re:1 Gbps by behrooz0az · · Score: 2

      The countries around me that I know of are: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Pakistan, China, Russia and UAE. They all have quotas (most of their ISPs, some provide services with no quota that are not very affordable). It's essentially every country that snoops. More gigabytes means more CPU.

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      Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion. -- Spazmania (174582)
    8. Re:1 Gbps by Lennie · · Score: 1

      You are probably not serious anyway, but I'm going to give you a serious comment anyway.

      Quota's are measured in bytes received/sent.

      Bandwidth just means how fast you are sending/receiving.

      If you are trying to download something large, do you want to download it fast and run out of quota fast. Or do you want to wait a long time before receiving all of it and then run out of quota ?

      I know what I would choose: a country where you don't have quota on wired at least.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    9. Re:1 Gbps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Name one 3G operator anywhere in the world that doesn't have quotas. They're not an American thing, they're a mobile thing. In America you have quotas on landline DSL though ... which is pretty fucked up ... but on mobile, yeah, quotas reflect the limited bandwidth that's actually available, and the huge cost of running the network compared to landline DSL, and the need to prevent freeloading / tragedy of the commons (i.e. they discourage you to watch video on your 3G connection, because some other guy might want to just check his email).

      I've never even hit my quota on my mobile, either, because unless you are watching video it's almost impossible to hit assuming you spend most of your actual day within reach of WiFi.

    10. Re:1 Gbps by tepples · · Score: 1

      unless you are watching video it's almost impossible to hit assuming you spend most of your actual day within reach of WiFi.

      And additionally assuming that AdBlock is available for your preferred browser. A growing number of websites use HTML5 video ads on pages that otherwise have only text and static images.

      And even the assumption of Wi-Fi availability during the majority of one's web use time doesn't apply to several groups of people. Some of them spend a lot of time riding public transit to and from work or wherever. Others have an employer that doesn't make a Wi-Fi network available for employees to use on breaks, not even just to check weather.gov to see when to jump on a bike and leave without getting caught in a downpour. Still others live in less-populated areas and are stuck with a quota even on their home Internet, especially if it's satellite, fixed cellular (LTE or WiMAX), or DSL in parts of Iowa.

    11. Re:1 Gbps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes it varies from country to country.
      I get 100GB, unlimited minutes, unlimited SMS and MMS, some insurance for the phone i haven't checked out, HBO Nordic(streaming), Spotify.
      It costs around 60$ pr. month, and I am not sure that is even the cheapest option around, but I am happy with their coverage which seems to be great the places I go.

      I know others might have better deals when it comes to roaming so that you can travel in many EU countries. But none of them have good deals where I usually go.

      https://www.telia.dk/privat/abonnementer/mobiltelefoni/#productcard-28432

    12. Re:1 Gbps by deathguppie · · Score: 1

      I don't have a mobile quota unless I'm roaming. Sorry if Tmobile isn't an option for you.

      --
      once more into the breach
  6. Heh, single.... by tuomoks · · Score: 1

    Single paths was old new a long time ago - but try to explain it to management, heh! We built some systems for government (don't say which) that used all the possible connections to share the load - not really difficult and really adds to security and recovery too. Anyhow - great idea, heh!

  7. spectrum grab by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The phone companies are stealing* unlicensed wifi spectrum for commercial use. Then, when wifi spectrum is sufficiently degraded, the LTE net becomes a monopoly, and they raise their prices.

    *it's not a copy. The previous bandwidthholder is deprived of bandwidth by this theft.

    ** oh, and 1Gbit/s from Wifi? That's standard for 802.11ac. There's no actual tech improvement here.

    1. Re:spectrum grab by ledow · · Score: 1

      You can't steal something that people are deliberately offering access to for free (or, in some cases, for a charge you have to pay in order to use it anyway - same thing).

      The problem is that you have to be on a Wifi network - at home, that's easy. Outside, you're likely to be bandwidth-limited, protocol-blocked, unable to even join without paying or signing up, etc.

      Multipath is a cool technology. But relying on Wifi to boost your downloads is no different to just connecting to Wifi to do a download in the first place.

      Now if you had a phone with several SIM cards and could use all their 4G/5G connections to download the same file... that's pretty useful. And dual-SIM phones are not exactly a rarity, especially in Asian countries.

    2. Re:spectrum grab by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is that you have to be on a Wifi network - at home, that's easy. Outside, you're likely to be bandwidth-limited, protocol-blocked, unable to even join without paying or signing up, etc.

      Not to mention that, KT has a widespread Wifi infrastructure throughout the country.

    3. Re:spectrum grab by Lennie · · Score: 2

      The advantage of MPTCP is you can keep your existing TCP-connection alive when you are roaming.

      The people working on this have captured a single TCP-connection being kept running for longer than a day on a roaming device.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    4. Re:spectrum grab by DamonHD · · Score: 1

      Indeed, this seems a key advantage to me and something I tried to get a small European telco to look at years ago. Great that it's finally happening.

      (It's going to make some simple security filtering by source IP a little harder...)

      Rgds

      Damon

      --
      http://m.earth.org.uk/
    5. Re:spectrum grab by Lennie · · Score: 1

      There was a talk about the security aspects of Multipath-TCP at Blackhat 2014:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    6. Re:spectrum grab by DamonHD · · Score: 1

      Thanks!

      Damon

      --
      http://m.earth.org.uk/
    7. Re:spectrum grab by Lennie · · Score: 1

      It's going to be fun to watch the 2 trends kill the IDS ?:
      - Multipath protocols like MPTCP
      - encrypted by default protocols. Like HTTP/2 (on the public Internet)

      I really doubt IDS will be useful in the long run, but hey I can still be wrong. Maybe we'll just deploy them as proxies. It's possible.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
  8. So...T-Mobile Download Booster? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds basically the same, if you have a nifty-fast wifi-internet connection, and the file you're downloading is more than 30MB.

  9. Galaxy S5 by darkain · · Score: 1

    While not entirely the same, the Galaxy S5 here in the states has something similar. It only works with a handful of services like the Google Play store, but it can also download items from both radios at the same time to increase bandwidth.

  10. wifi? by Mirar · · Score: 1

    While multipath is very cool and all, and it's a sign that maybe the phone doesn't have to change IP as soon as it leaves a WIFI network,

    getting 1Gbps over WIFI might not be _that_ cool? Doesn't 802.11ac already support this over single path?

    1. Re:wifi? by Lennie · · Score: 1

      Actually MPTCP allows you to keep changing your IP-address, you just add new IP-addresses to existing connection when you roam from one WiFi network to the next.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    2. Re:wifi? by Mirar · · Score: 1

      That sounds like something everything on my Android device needs to use. How do I make this happen?

  11. MPTCP vs MLPPP? by buckfeta2014 · · Score: 1

    Anyone know what the difference is? They both sound like link bonding to me.

    --
    Buck Feta. You know what to do.
    1. Re:MPTCP vs MLPPP? by Lennie · · Score: 1

      Boding works at a lower layer. Bonding assumes you are talking to the same network gateway/service provider (you use just one IP).

      MPTCP clearly does not. It let's, for example, a TCP-client talk to a TCP-server over any path the client or server has available to them. This means you can combine different connections/paths from different service providers.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    2. Re:MPTCP vs MLPPP? by swb · · Score: 1

      It sounds, though, like it requires the client to use an upstream proxy to make it work, otherwise the endpoints would need to be enabled for this, too.

      Even in the SMB world, it's becoming common for clients to want multiple ISP connections. Usually this gets implemented within the firewall or with a link balancer device that allows for various failover or balancing schemes. Any one client TCP session stays on one link, though, so two 10Mbps links never delivers 20 Mbps to any one TCP session.

      I'm not sure this would be that much of a benefit on a phone, since most are single-app focused and most apps rely on a single stream, which is I guess why they use multipath TCP.

    3. Re:MPTCP vs MLPPP? by Lennie · · Score: 1

      Yes, the good thing about MPTCP is it works automatically when operating systems adopt it and add it to client OS and server OS.

      They are using a proxy in the case of these smartphones because very little servers on the Internet support it right now.

      It's offered as a premium service to their customers, so maybe these 5500 or so active customers have special need apps.

      Operating system adoption:
      iOS has support for MPTCP but it's only enabled for Siri, for testing their implementation of MPTCP I guess.

      Solaris are adding it, an implementation for FreeBSD and (even multiple I believe for) Linux exist. There seems to be some customer pressure now from Linux customers to have it in mainline (financial, like Solaris). So my guess is it's going to happen this or next year ? Well I hope so anyway. The Linux best known implementation has already existed for a couple of years now.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
  12. In America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In America cellphones use TCP to spy on you and rip you off.

    w00t

  13. Good luck getting past immigration by tepples · · Score: 1

    I know what I would choose: a country where you don't have quota on wired at least.

    Which country has that, plus a decent standard of living otherwise, plus practical qualifications for immigration?

    1. Re: Good luck getting past immigration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Korea?

    2. Re:Good luck getting past immigration by Lennie · · Score: 1

      Lots of countries in Europe.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
  14. Re:Pancake face lover. by tepples · · Score: 2

    If there's a "pancake face", it's Americans who wear too much makeup, or perhaps Americans who overindulge at IHOP, Bob Evans, and Denny's. And any country is a "gook", as guk is just the Sino-Korean word for a country, akin to Mandarin guó, Sino-Japanese koku, and Vietnamese quô'c.

  15. Ohhhh, goodie! by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    Now I'll be able to reach my monthly bandwidth cap in minutes, not hours.