SMS: Smart Multipath Switch for improving the throughput of Multipath TCP for Smartphones

Multipath TCP (MPTCP) is an enhancement of TCP, capable of using multiple network paths to enhance the throughput and reliability. The current implementation of MPTCP does not consider wireless network characteristics. Unlike the wired networks, the path characteristic and mode of operations may vary among various wireless network interfaces dynamically. Hence we propose Smart Multipath Switch (SMS), dynamic MPTCP subflow management for the wireless network. SMS uses a learning-based approach, adapts to ad-hoc wireless conditions, thereby dynamically controls and manages the subflow in MPTCP for better user experience and network utilization. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal, we performed live air experiments with the help of Samsung Galaxy S8 in different locations (Korea, Thailand, and India) and also performed simulations in our lab at Samsung Electronics, Headquarters. Our experiments show that the proposed solution provides the aggregation ratio consistently above 80%. Furthermore, the SMS, using auto-tuning logic, improves the throughput by up to 51.5% compared with legacy.