Which statement correctly describes data transmission at the transport layer?

The statement that both UDP and TCP use port numbers is correct because port numbers are essential for identifying specific processes or services on a device during data transmission. This functionality allows multiple applications to run simultaneously on a device and communicate over the same IP address without interference. Both the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) utilize port numbers to differentiate between these applications and to facilitate proper data delivery to their respective endpoints.

TCP, being a connection-oriented protocol, establishes a reliable connection and ensures that data is delivered in the correct order, while UDP is more lightweight and connectionless, allowing for faster communication without the overhead of ensuring reliability. Nonetheless, both protocols offer a way to identify applications through port numbers, which is crucial in networking. This functionality is what enables applications like web browsers, email clients, and streaming services to communicate effectively over the network.

The other choices present misunderstandings about the attributes of these protocols. For instance, stating that only TCP uses port numbers is incorrect since UDP also employs them. Asserting that UDP guarantees data delivery misrepresents UDP's inherent characteristics; in fact, UDP does not ensure delivery or order, which is one of its main distinctions from TCP. Additionally, the claim that TCP is exclusively used for streaming