Verizon got a lot of positive PR last week by announcing its plan to deploy a new technology called P4P that facilitates more efficient P2P service delivery, in contrast to some broadband providers who seek to modulate P2P traffic through network management practices. Some of the press reports (including my own blog post) noted that AT&T and most cable operators have opted for the network management solution.
Not true, an AT&T representative said in a note to me seeking a correction to my blog post.
"There is nothing inherently wrong with P2P applications, which are advanced, and legal technologies that are used and welcomed on our network. We in no way disparage the application itself," he wrote. "We are attempting to make it more efficient."
He also sent along this white paper (PDF) which documents simulations of the P4P technology that AT&T has been running on its network in collaboration with researchers from Yale and Washington Universities.
So, the two top telcos in the U.S. plan to work with P2P applications, it seems. The telcos' tentative embrace of P2P has not only public policy ramifications, but might also emerge as a marketplace competitive issue. If phone companies don't "throttle" P2P applications but cable operators do, is that a selling point to consumers?
Cynthia Brumfield at 1:27 PM|Comments(2)
While Verizon's press rather naturally release focuses on their support of P4P (and thye've been great), it's important to keep in mind that there are over 50 companies and research groups involved in P4P. As far as AT&T's participation goes, they were involved in the initial formation of the Working Group, and have been extremely supportive of P4P, and contributed to the earler simulations of P4P. So while they didn't participate in the first field test, people shouldn't read too much into that. And I think that it's safe to say that there are more announcements related to P4P coming.
There's an overview of P4P at http://www.pandonetworks.com/p4p and information about the Working Group and deeper technical information at http://www.dcia.info/activities/.
Posted by: Laird Popkin at March 19, 2008 8:28 PM
I believe the difference is that AT&T only ran a simulation, whereas Verizon actually tested the system in the wild ...
Posted by: Janko Roettgers at March 19, 2008 4:27 PM
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