Which protocol is known for achieving higher transmission speeds at the cost of reliability?

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is designed to provide a lightweight and efficient means of sending data between devices over a network. It achieves higher transmission speeds primarily due to its minimalistic design, which does not include mechanisms for error checking and correction. Unlike protocols that ensure all packets are delivered reliably and in order, UDP simply sends packets (datagrams) without requiring acknowledgment from the receiving end. This can significantly reduce latency and is particularly beneficial for applications needing real-time performance, such as video streaming, gaming, or voice over IP, where getting data quickly is more critical than ensuring every single packet arrives.

In contrast, protocols like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) prioritize reliability by establishing connections, ensuring ordered delivery of packets, and implementing error recovery, which inherently reduces speed due to the additional overhead. The other options, like File Transfer Protocol (FTP), while built on top of TCP for reliability, also do not match the speed capability of UDP, and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is primarily used for diagnostic and control purposes rather than direct data transmission.