US download quotas - the shape of things to come

Stuart Corner
Sunday, 20 January 2008 23:06

Opinion and Analysis

This is why this week's acquisition of Ellacoya Networks is so interesting . It will make it much easier and more economical for an ISP to deploy, throughout its network the ability to apply service constraints or enhancements on a per user or per application basis.

However at present no ISP can guarantee quality of service end-to-end across the Internet, because they can control only their own network, to their ability to charge a premium price for a premium service is limited. That is probably the next evolution and leading the charge towards it is the IPsphere Forum which has a vision "where creators and users of online experiences are empowered, where customers are offered compelling new services, and where market innovation is encouraged and fairly rewarded."

It aims "provide an automated mechanism for bringing together the various stakeholders involved in the delivery of a service … the common carrier where the traffic originates, the other carriers over whose networks the traffic must pass, right through to content providers and those who contribute other vital service components such as DRM...Linked together by IPsphere functionality in any imaginable combination, there is no limit to what they may achieve."

Eventually the all-you-can-eat broadband services in overseas markets that have been the envy of Australians and the pay-the-same-price-per-megabyte-for-whatever-you-are-eating plans that have dominated the Australian market will converge to similar and much more sophisticated service and pricing models.