A method and device perform error detection with partial checksum coverage by using a first transport protocol, wherein interface means are provided for requesting from a second lower-level transport protocol at least one lower-level header field to be subjected to checksum calculation over a predetermined portion of a data packet of the first transport protocol and the requested lower-level header fields. A checksum-based error processing function of the lower-level second transport protocol is disabled during the transmission of the data packet. Thereby, a checksum with partial coverage can be carried inside a higher-level data packet to provide Unequal Error Detection (UED) for error tolerant applications without requiring modifications of lower layer protocols.