An image data communication system that enables a suppression of the loss of data during a handover interval without entailing insufficiency of network resources includes: image data distribution device for sequentially distributing, with prescribed time differences, encoded image data 1 and 2 in which an identical image has been encoded; and image data reception device for receiving encoded image data 1 and 2 that have been distributed from image data distribution device while moving among a plurality of radio areas. Image data reception device, at the time of handover that occurs during movement from a current radio area to another neighboring radio area, receives over a prescribed interval encoded image data 1 and 2 having prescribed time differences that are distributed from image data distribution device, and selects necessary data from the encoded image data 1 and 2 that have been received to reconstruct one set of encoded image data.