ARQ for Network Coding

A method, apparatus and computer program product for feedback-based online network coding is presented. In one embodiment, a transmitting node determines a linear combination of packets to transmit from a transmit queue. The transmitting node transmits the linear combination of packets. The transmitting node determines whether a packet can be removed from the transmit queue, wherein when a determination is made that a packet can be removed from the transmit queue then removing the packet from the transmit queue, and when a determination is made that a packet cannot be removed from the transmit queue then refraining from removing the packet from the transmit queue.