Posted: 21st Nov, 2006 By: MarkJ
Cable operator ntl:
Telewest has admitted restricting broadband Internet traffic. Specific details are unclear, although a '
Traffic Management' trial has been employed in several
Telewest areas:
As part of our continued efforts to improve our customers' broadband experience we are introducing measures to more efficiently and pro-actively manage network traffic. These measures are currently being trialled in the Preston region, which includes Preston, Wigan and Blackpool.
The measures identify traffic patterns that are deemed potentially abnormal and apply traffic management rules to ensure customers are not adversely affected. We believe this could offer a much more consistent experience for the vast majority - over 95 per cent - of customers.
These optimisation measures are only used in the evenings at peak time when the potential for abnormal traffic to have an adverse impact on our customers' experience is greatest.
Love it or hate it, traffic management is increasingly being used. Unfortunately, due to the differing ways in which it can be operated, there lacks a single rule for how customers may be affected.
Most services tend to target P2P (file sharing) and newsgroup (usenet) usage, although others have gone further. Typically some customers benefit while others do not, a factor that varies between providers. Presently ISPs tend to remain far too secretive about how they employ said systems, which is one of our main gripes.