> > Surely one ISP out there has to have investigated ways that p2p could > > co-exist with their network.. > > Some ideas from one small ISP. > > First, fileshare networks drive the need for bandwidth, and since an ISP > sells bandwidth that should be viewed as good for business because you > aren't going to sell many 6mb dsl lines to home users if they just want to > do email and browse.
One of the things to remember is that many customers are simply looking for Internet access, but couldn't tell a megabit from a mackerel. Given that they don't really have any true concept, many users will look at the numbers, just as they look at numbers for other things they purchase, and they'll assume that the one with better numbers is a better product. It's kind of hard to test drive an Internet connection, anyways. This has often given cable here in the US a bit of an advantage, and I've noticed that the general practice of cable providers is to try to maintain a set of numbers that's more attractive than those you typically land with DSL. [snip a bunch of stuff that sounds good in theory, may not map in practice] > If you expect them to pay for 6mb pipes, they better see it run faster than > it does on a 1.5mb pipe or they are going to head to your competition. A small number of them, perhaps. Here's an interesting issue. I recently learned that the local RR affiliate has changed its service offerings. They now offer 7M/512k resi for $45/mo, or 14M/1M for $50/mo (or thereabouts, prices not exact). Now, does anybody really think that the additional capacity that they're offering for just a few bucks more is real, or are they just playing the numbers for advertising purposes? I have no doubt that you'll be able to burst higher, but I'm a bit skeptical about continuous use. Noticed about two months ago that AT&T started putting kiosks for U-verse at local malls and movie theatres. Coincidence? ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.
