Bell’s fights back against claims its network isn’t congested

Bell Canada has refuted allegations that its network isn't congested and therefore doesn't need traffic management software to slow down peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic. In a submission to the CRTC filed last week, the company says its congestion numbers taken on their own don't tell the whole story.The incumbent telephone company provided numbers on the public record that show between 2.6% and 5.2% of its network links were congested during an average month. "While these numbers may seem low to the average lay person," writes Bell, "they are significant to network traffic engineers such that it is important to consider the number of congested links in the proper context."The company likens congestion on the Internet to the roadway system where major routes are similar to backbone links and roads in the suburbs are analogous to DSLAMs and Aggregation links. "Just like a single traffic roadblock can hinder drivers going to multiple destinations that pass through the road that is blocked, a very small amount of congested links can seriously affect a large number of high-speed end-users' traffic," Bell writes. "When traffic levels increase, the potential for drivers to be impacted by more than one roadblock also increases."Bell also slams the David Burnstein analysis provided by the Coalition of ISPs (CISP) in its July 3 comments. The ILEC criticized Burnstein for not doing a full analysis by factoring in all relevant costs in upgrading DSLAM ports to Gigabit Ethernet.Traffic management not only solution, but critical elementIn its reply comments, Bell says it's taking a three-pronged strategy to deal with network congestion, including the migration to usage-based billing, capacity expansion through network investments of about $500 million in 2008 and the use of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology.It says traffic management is critical because of the nature of peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic, which is designed to seek out all available bandwidth in an effort to transfer the file as quickly as possible. "Network management is currently the only realistic response and has been applied, on an objective and rational basis, to both the company's retail and wholesale GAS services," writes Bell. "Because P2P file sharing applications are non time-sensitive, these can be ‘slowed down' during peak hours of traffic without interrupting service."Without traffic management, Bell projects congested links could affect up to 790,000 customers by the end of 2009's first quarter. Bell has about two million high-speed Internet customers.No undue preference in traffic managementThe original Canadian Association of Internet Providers' (CAIP) application alleged that Bell was giving itself undue preference over its wholesale ISP competitors because of its traffic management practices. Bell denies the suggestion, saying undue preference doesn't apply when the company manages the traffic of its own retail Sympatico Internet customers. Besides, the company adds the GAS service is not offered over a separate network from Sympatico services."The GAS service offered to wholesale ISPs and the retail Sympatico Internet service offered by the Company share and have always shared the same access network and therefore will experience the same benefits and the same problems," acknowledges Bell. "As the company is applying the same treatment to traffic of its own retail Internet access service end-users and GAS end-users, the commission cannot find that the company is conferring unto itself a preference, let alone an undue preference."Besides, if wholesale ISP customers aren't satisfied with the service being provided by Bell, they can choose alternatives. The company points to third-party Internet access (TPIA) as an example. "At the end of 2005, cable BDUs passed 97% of households and of those passed, 89% had broadband capability," writes Bell, adding that in Ontario and Quebec, 95% of small business customers were located in the operating footprints of a cable operator.Bell's reply comments come as one of the final steps in the four-month proceeding kicked off by an application from CAIP requesting the CRTC order Bell to stop its traffic management practices. The CRTC is expected to rule on this matter in the fall.

Bell’s fights back against claims its network isn’t congested

News | July 16, 2008

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