Analysis: Not all bits of data are equal

By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 2 Jun 2006 at 12:18

All sounds far-fetched, right? Well, no. At a very basic form, this kind of intervention is already taking place and is set to increase now that the vast majority of ADSL broadband ISPs are charged per gigabyte downloaded rather than per customer.

PlusNet, for example, has been open about its 'traffic shaping', which helps to regulate the amount of bandwidth being used by network hogs during peak hours. 'Like virtually all ISPs, even those that claim to offer unlimited downloads, we prioritise packets so that P2P files take a back seat if other surfers are trying to stream or use internet telephony,' said PlusNet marketing director Neil Armstrong.

NTL Telewest is also considering traffic shaping 'as it can deliver real consumer benefits such as quality of service guarantees,' according to Chad Raube, director of Internet at the newly combined company.

Both ISPs are looking to the positives of traffic management and are at least upfront about their practices. But as file sizes continue to bloat, how long will it be before telecoms companies look for a bigger slice of the entertainment pie, either from consumers or the content providers? The neutral foundations of the web could be set to tumble.