RFC 9897
Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) Extensions for Multipath Operation with Multiple Addresses, January 2026
- File formats:

- Also available: XML file for editing
- Status:
- PROPOSED STANDARD
- Authors:
- M. Amend, Ed.
A. Brunstrom
A. Kassler
V. Rakocevic
S. Johnson - Stream:
- IETF
- Source:
- tsvwg (wit)
Cite this RFC: TXT | XML | BibTeX
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC9897
Discuss this RFC: Send questions or comments to the mailing list tsvwg@ietf.org
Other actions: Submit Errata | Find IPR Disclosures from the IETF | View History of RFC 9897
Abstract
Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) communications, as defined in RFC 4340, are inherently restricted to a single path per connection, despite the availability of multiple network paths between peers. The ability to utilize multiple paths simultaneously for a DCCP session can enhance network resource utilization, improve throughput, and increase resilience to network failures, ultimately enhancing the user experience.
Use cases for Multipath DCCP (MP-DCCP) include mobile devices (e.g., handsets and vehicles) and residential home gateways that maintain simultaneous connections to distinct network types such as cellular and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) or cellular and fixed access networks. Compared to existing multipath transport protocols, such as Multipath TCP (MPTCP), MP-DCCP is particularly suited for latency-sensitive applications with varying requirements for reliability and in-order delivery.
This document specifies a set of protocol extensions to DCCP that enable multipath operations. These extensions maintain the same service model as DCCP while introducing mechanisms to establish and utilize multiple concurrent DCCP flows across different network paths.
For the definition of Status, see RFC 2026.
For the definition of Stream, see RFC 8729.