Anti-tromboning

For example, in a poorly optimised network a local telephone call may be routed through an international exchange; or internet traffic between an internet user and a website may be needlessly diverted through a data center, adding to latency and costs.

In mobile networks servicing a large number of geographically dense peers, any two peers who wish to communicate between one another may exchange their media data through a separate path that exploits localised and lower-power transmission, as a form of sub-band signalling.

The session and control data can be completely decentralised, removing the tromboned line altogether, under a suitable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) network system.

In this case, the aggregate media and session control data may be distributed across the network in a dynamic best-possible solution form that meets the link criteria of both the individual peer and the constraints of the network infrastructure (other peers, basestations, etc.

The lowered cost to the service provider that results from resource sharing is the economic rationale for these network provision schemes.

An example of an anti-tromboning measure. While some of the data flows along the long and expensive yellow path, much can be transferred over the shorter and cheaper red path.