O2 Broadband puts brakes on BitTorrent
Party's over
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O2 has joined the ranks of fixed line broadband providers restricting peer-to-peer traffic as part of its network hits capacity during evening peak times.
The firm has installed specialist equipment to cut the amount of bandwidth available to BitTorrent, Gnutella and KaZaa users, as well as newsgroups*.
O2 launched its fixed line broadband service in late 2007 after buying start-up Be and its pioneering ADSL2+ network in 2005. An O2 spokeswoman said Be customers' connections (and O2 customers supplied via the Be network) will remain unrestricted.
The restriction will apply to O2 IPStream broadband (not LLU) customers between 8pm and 11pm. In a statement, O2 said: "From now on, we’ll give first priority to the things most of us want to do in the evening – things like emailing, looking at websites, watching video on sites such as BBC iPlayer or YouTube or using programs like Skype or Messenger."
Headline connection speeds won't be affected. The firm hasn't released details of how much slower peer-to-peer downloads will be at peak times.
The "traffic shaping" approach - targeting users of bandwidth-hungry applications - to squeeze the most out of its existing network capacity mirrors that of BT but contrasts with Virgin Media, which applies a simple speed restriction to its heaviest users at peak times.
Since its launch, O2 Broadband has attracted more than 400,000 subscribers and wide praise for its quality, unrestricted service. On the latter point, it will now partially fall into line with the other consumer ISPs. ®
*Full list of affected traffic here.
COMMENTS
Meh
I've got O2's broadband service (re-badged Be as it is).
It's easily the cheapest service I could find, generally reliable (can't remember the last downtime to do with network) and their engineers arrive when they say they will, are friendly and knowledgeable. It's a lot more than can be said for any other provider I've had apart from NilDram.
I don't use bit-torrent and know they have to pay for the cost of taking traffic from the DSLAMs at my local exchange (whether it be extending their network there or paying for it to be delivered to another point.
Clearly they don't want to put their prices up in these impecunious times and I'm grateful for that.
If the freetards want their tv shows, let them get them in the middle of the night rather than it costing me.
What an absolute funking disgrace...
I pay my broadband bill - therefore I should be able to download unlimited movies and music to my heart's content. Where's the wrong in that?
@ Sampler
Tit. Its people like you who give geeks a bad name. I could reverse your statement and make exactly the same point.
"Why should my watching Eastenders on iPlayer be interupted because some muppet can't start their linux ISO download in the morning so its finished when he gets home from work".
Unless you're a student and don't do mornings.
Also, you clearly know the difference between "their" and "there", use it consistently.
Rant over.
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