[ NNSquad ] Re: define: "service providers have to manage their networks somehow, especially during peak times."

[Wes Felter <wesley@felter.org>]

Robb Topolski wrote:

> No system runs well when demand outstrips its capacity
> for extended periods. Network operators should and do build capacity far
> enough ahead of demand so that congestion-caused dropped packets are the
> occasional peak-moment exception rather than the full-time rule.

This isn't feasible IMO. The data from Japan shows that one person can 
easily saturate 100 Mbps and maybe even more. For US ISPs to make 
congestion rare, they'd have to upgrade their networks by a factor of 
100 or 1000 (to pick some round numbers). Besides FiOS (2.4 Gbps 
down/1.2 Gbps up) I don't think ISPs can afford the upgrade. And that's 
only to satisfy the demand that exists today.

I think we are going to be living in a world where the last mile will be 
continuously saturated during peak hours. (It could be worse; when I was 
in college our Internet connection was saturated 24x7.) If ISPs can't 
eliminate congestion, they'll want to manage it.

> "Especially during peak times" is the part I'm struggling with.  I can think
> of a few examples, but not many -- and certainly none that come
> approximately close to what the ISPs are actually doing.  My examples of
> acceptable peak-time management include:
>
>  - asking users to voluntarily back-off during peak hours

Many users are irresponsible teenagers (but I repeat myself), so that's 
not going to work.

>  - selling tiers that cap to different speeds or charges a premium for high
> consumption during "prime time"

Customers will hate non-flat-rate pricing. Customers will hate any 
reduction in claimed service (i.e. if an ISP promises 7 Mbps, then 
changes the plan to be 7 Mbps off-peak / 2 Mbps peak for the same price).

>  - supporting an accepted "Internet Standard"-level QoS method so that users
> can identify which of their packets require special handling during moments
> of congestion

I like the idea of customers marking their traffic, but realistically 
customers would have to rely on their Linksys router to mark traffic for 
them, and right now the router doesn't do that. In the near term, ISPs 
are going to have to treat all traffic from a customer equally.

The great thing about Internet QoS standards is that there are so many 
to choose from. If a few broadband ISPs would choose one and say that 
they're going to implement it, then the router vendors could start 
writing code.

John Nagle and Richard Bennett have comments on this topic: 
http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2008/03/24/nagles-answer/

Wes Felter - wesley@felter.org