Network coding

In less than ten years Network Coding has grown from a simple cute idea to an almost revolutionary research trend that has galvanized both the Information-theoretic Community (where it was born) and the Networking Community (where it is expected to find its applications). By now, a casual observer might mistakenly conclude that the story of Network Coding is complete, that its fundamental properties are well understood, the challenges and obstacles have been identified, and that only limited applications of it have found their way to practice. This issue is proof to the contrary; that is, there is ample room for further theoretical development and there is a truly endless list of potential applications.