Abstract

Fountain codes are a natural coding solution for broadcasting: in such a case, they are a good alternative to ARQ , especially when none or little feedback can be used. But their versatile structure allows using them as a protocol for many communication network topologies. The talk explores the application of fountain codes to a single-hop multi-relay network. Specifically, in the considered system, relays do not decode the information, but simply perform parity checks on symbols they have received from the source. This allows for uncoordinated, low-complexity algorithms at the intermediate nodes. Thus, the presented protocol, whose analysis and design are described in the talk, represents a hybrid between fountain codes and network coding, named distributed fountain codes, whose potential makes it a promising candidate for next-generation wireless LANs.