[ NNSquad ] a point of view from Japan re In Japan, P2P usage grows with bandwidth

Begin forwarded message:

Date: March 5, 2008 10:28:24 AM EST

To: DAVID FARBER <dave@farber.net>

Dave,

I'm travelling so can't find all the links to various files. But a quick reply...

First, the ministry is very concerned about congestion. Peak traffic comes close to max (95% occupation rate), but the average a much more manageable 40%. I expect the slide pack Haruka Saito used was based on a presentation pack written by Yasu Taniwaki, can find a version from September 2007 here <http://www.mastel.or.id/files/NGN-Seminar/D1-S1_070919%20Taniwaki.pdf> The trends are the same: new traffic data was made available a few weeks ago and show the same pattern, just more of it, and fiber subs now over 10 million.

Ministry is very aware of the traffic used by P2P and is concerned by it, it accounts for about 50% of traffic I believe, so the 1% using 50% comment below is not correct. But at the same time are also aware that P2P most likely offers the best solutions for future traffic management so is taking a very careful approach to P2P.

The ministry has also adopted as part of the new official broadband policy a set of principles regarding network neutrality. These are similar to the FCC's four principles, but are official policy (i.e. not legislation, but are policy that carriers should follow, closer to a rule-making than the currently neither here or there FCC principles.) These principles which will guide the development of new policy and regulations and are:

* IP networks should be accessible to users and easy to use, allowing ready access to content and application layers
* IP based networks should be accessible and available to any terminal that meets relevant technical standards and should support terminal-to-terminal (or "end-to-end") communication.
* Users should be provided with equality of access to telecommunications and platform layers at a reasonable price.

MIC defines "user" to mean both the individual end user or network subscriber and also content providers and other related companies that conduct business using the Internet.

Shumpei and Izumi (now at the "Institute for InfoSocionomics, Kumon Center, Tama University) recently translated a ministry study group report on network neutrality that may also be helpful. Please see <http://www.ni.tama.ac.jp/e/> under what's new.