Beyond the Min-Cut Bound: Deterministic Network Coding for Asynchronous Multirate Broadcast

Abstract: In a single hop broadcast packet erasure network, we demonstrate that it is possible to provide multirate packet delivery outside of what is given by the network min-cut. This is achieved by using a deterministic non-block-based network coding scheme, which allows us to sidestep some of the limitations put in place by the block coding model used to determine the network capacity. Under the network coding scheme we outline, the sender is able to transmit network coded packets above the channel rate of some receivers, while ensuring that they still experience nonzero delivery rates. Interestingly, in this generalised form of asynchronous network coded broadcast, receivers are not required to obtain knowledge of all packets transmitted so far. Instead, causal feedback from the receivers about packet erasures is used by the sender to determine a network coded transmission that will allow at least one, but often multiple receivers, to deliver their next needed packet. Although the analysis of deterministic coding schemes is generally a difficult problem, by making some approximations we are able to obtain tractable estimates of the receivers' delivery rates, which are shown to match reasonably well with simulation. Using these estimates, we design a fairness algorithm that allocates the sender's resources so all receivers will experience fair delivery rate performance.