[CAnet - news] BBC iPlayer risks overloading the internet

For more information on this item please visit my blog at 
http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/ or http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com
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[Two interesting postings on the impact of P2P on ISP networks and possible
solutions.  Once regulators get rid of geo-blocking other countries outside
of the US will likely soon see the same impact --BSA]

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>From the (London) Times


[From a posting by Brian Rendell on Dave Farbers IPer list --BSA]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3716781.ece

BBC iPlayer risks overloading the internet

The success of the BBC's iPlayer is putting the
internet under severe strain and threatening to
bring the network to a halt, internet service
providers claimed yesterday.

They want the corporation to share the cost of
upgrading the network - estimated at £831 million
- to cope with the increased workload. Viewers
are now watching more than one million BBC
programmes online each week.

The BBC said yesterday that its iPlayer service,
an archive of programmes shown over the previous
seven days, was accounting for between 3 and 5
per cent of all internet traffic in Britain, with
the first episode of The Apprentice watched more
than 100,000 times via a computer.

At the same time, the corporation is trying to
increase the scope of the service. It is making
its iPlayer service available via the Nintendo
Wii, allowing owners who are unable to stop
playing in time for their favourite programmes to
catch up with them later.

Tiscali, the internet service provider, said that
the BBC and other broadcasters should "share the
costs" of increasing internet capacity to prevent
the network coming under strain.

. . .
The problem for Tiscali, though, is that its
concerns are not widely shared in the industry.
BT, which provides a key part of the UK's
internet infrastructure, said that the problem,
"while real", could be solved. It said that the
key was not speeding up connections to people's
homes, but through improvements in "backhaul and
core networks" - the links that operate up and
down the country.

The iPlayer service has rapidly become a hit
after it was introduced at Christmas, even though
it involves either watching a programme on a
computer screen or finding a way to link the
computer to the television. There were 17.2
million requests to watch programmes last month,
an increase of 25 per cent on February.
. . .


[From www.convergedigest.com]

Pando's P2P Field Test Shows 235% Performance Boost 
P2P content delivery can boost delivery speeds by up to 235% across US cable
networks and up to 898% across international broadband networks, according
to Pando Networks, which offers a managed P2P content delivery service. 
The data was gathered in a recent P4P field test by Pando from more than
3,000 ISPs worldwide. As part of the test that began February 21st, Pando
Networks delivered video content to more than 1 million people across global
broadband networks including AT&T, Bell Canada, Bezeq International, BT,
Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Orange, Sasktel, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Time
Warner, Tiscali, and Verizon. Pando used ISP-supplied topological data for
some of the networks, such as Verizon and Telefonica, while using
proprietary Pando Network Aware technology to deliver content across other
networks such as Comcast and AT&T.

The results also show Pando’s ability to use P4P and Pando Network Aware
technology to route data internally across the broadband networks instead of
pulling data from external sources that put more strain on the networks.

For example, across US cable carriers, Pando increased the percentage of
data routed internally across their networks from 2.2% to 43.4% of all
downloads. This optimization reduced inter-ISP data transfers by an average
of 34% (up to 43.8 % in the US and 75.1% internationally) demonstrating that
network awareness provides significant network efficiencies for all ISPs.

The technology used in this first P4P field test was developed by engineers
at Pando Networks based on research from Yale University. The protocols and
specifications are being shared within the P4PWG, which is open to all ISPs
and P2P technology providers, and sponsored by the Distributed Computing
Industry Association (DCIA).
In March, Pando presented initial results of this field test reflecting data
exclusively for the US-based Verizon broadband network at the DCIA P2P
MARKET CONFERENCE in New York.
http://www.PandoNetworks.com
09-Apr-08

In March 2008, Verizon will begin using a peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer
system from Pando Networks to aid with the distribution of large media files
to its broadband users. When deployed, the new system will move material
authorized by the content owners -- such as movies, TV programs, software or
large data bases -- faster for consumers and more efficiently for network
operators, including Verizon. Significantly, Verizon said it no longer
regarded P2P as a "dark-alley distribution system for unauthorized file
sharing. 
In February 2008, Pando announced NBC as its latest content customer. 
Pando is funded by Intel Capital, BRM Capital and Wheatley Partners.


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