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UK telcos to publish standardised information on traffic management


The UK's major telecoms companies have agreed to publish clearer information on what internet traffic they slow or block and how. Providers accounting for 90% of fixed-line connections have agreed to divulge their traffic management practices.

All networks operate some kind of management of the traffic running over them to ensure that certain kinds of traffic or certain users do not use up an unfair amount of the available bandwidth.

Controversy has surrounded some proposals for extensive management in the US, though, with campaigners for neutral networks objecting to telecoms companies' suggestions that they prioritise the traffic relating to companies that pay network operators a fee.

BT, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Vodafone, O2, BSkyB and Three have all agreed to a standardised approach to publishing information on how they shape their network traffic, according to Government advisory body the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG).

The companies, which together are responsible for 90% of fixed line broadband connections and 60% of mobile ones, have signed up to a code of practice (9-page / 68KB PDF) on disclosure of network management activity.

"The new code will ensure that consumers have access to more easily comparable information about the traffic management practices of different broadband providers," said a BSG statement. "For the first time, information will be provided in a common format to explain what traffic management techniques are used, when and with what impact for each broadband service currently marketed by the code’s signatories."

"There has been more heat than light in the debate about traffic management over recent years," said BSG chief executive Antony Walker. "This commitment to provide clear and comparable information in a common format is very important. It will not only help to ensure consumers are better informed about the services they buy and use, but will also provide a clearer picture for policy makers of the way in which traffic management is actually used in the UK market."

The BSG statement said that the information to be published by network operators would be essential for potential customers if companies begin to differentiate heavily between kinds of content in 'managed networks'.

“Consumers need to be able to make informed choices about the services they buy and policy makers need to be able to make informed decisions about the policy and regulatory framework they set," said Walker. "This new commitment provides an essential building block for getting both of these things right."

The code commits its signatories to increase the amount of information on traffic management that they make available. It also sets standards about how current and easily understandable that information is.

The code also commits signatories to set the information out in a table related to each individual internet access service they sell. The code says that those tables should be published by June of this year. The code will be revised early next year in the light of its operation this year, said the BSG statement.

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