Symmetry in practice

Posted by Herman | October 20, 2009 | permalink
One of the emerging debates in Next Generation Broadband networks is symmetrical bandwidth.
As discussed before the fact that your standard Internet Access download speed is (much) bigger than your upload speed has its roots in past engineering choices and the physical limitations of the wires.
Fiber does not have these limitations so (a-)symmetry is a choice. 
A lot of providers around the world suggest or claim that there is no need for symmetry for normal users. However these claims are self-fulfilling prophecies: if you do not offer symmetrical bandwidth you will never observe if  behaviour will change, applications will be developed and if it will be used.
Fortunately some new data is becoming available. In one of the Dutch FttH deployments where symmetrical bandwidth is the standard offering the operator has released more information on the observed use well after the first full year. (Measuring bandwidth consumption after everyone has grown used to this bandwidth shows normal behaviour and eliminates artefacts possibly created by the attractiveness of a new toy).
The number of active subscriptions observed is slightly less than 10.000.
 [update] 7000.( Age and income distribution: across the scale, quite normal)
The first observation is that the use of Internet and bandwidth has grown fast to a new (higher) level. IPTV and VoD have been adopted quickly, Youtube HD is a favorite.
The most interesting observation is the aggregate [update] Internet bandwidth consumption over time. (see the graph below).
updown.png
The data is measured over a couple of days [update] on the Internet backhaul link. 
 The graph shows that the aggregate upload consumption is more or less the same as the download consumption.
So much for claims that we do not need symmetry…..
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About Herman

Herman Wagter is one of the founders and co-editor of Dadamotive. His work as interim manager and consultant (Citynet Amsterdam/Fiber-to-the-Home, Platform Sustainable Mobility) has involved him directly in the impact of hyperconnectivity and sustainability on society. As an independent agent and "mobile warrior" he has experienced the pro's and con's of how organizations and projects can be structured, and what the effects on the final result can be. In his opinion we are entering an era of profound change, driven by these fundamental forces. Following the trends, discovering the fun and debunking the half-truths is a passion he likes to share with others.
Posted in: Hyperconnectivity.

5 Responses to Symmetry in practice

  1. Nerdies says:
    October 22, 2009 at 14:28

    Mee eens over mogelijke symmetrie effecten, niet mee eens over applicaties die deze effecten veroorzaken. Daar weten wij niets over, en jouw schemaatje zegt er ook niets over! Upload kan ook komen van P2P Torrents! Verder waar hebben jullie dat gemeten (o.k. het is waarschijnlijk Adam gezien leden van het netwerk), maar waar is de router interface? Is het gemeten op de router interface “facing the customer”? Dat zal betekenen dan outbound verkeer is dan verkeer “toward the user”!

  2. Herman says:
    October 22, 2009 at 14:36

    Als je goed leest zie dat er geen relaties gelegd worden tussen de genoemde applicaties en de geobserveerde symmetrie. Ik ben (nog) niet vrij om iets te zeggen over de plek. Er zal meer analyse gedaan worden in de komende tijd.

  3. Nerdies says:
    October 22, 2009 at 16:34

    Blog over concept-handreiking ‘Goed op weg met breedband’ (www.ez.nl) zal leuk zijn! Kijk maar naar definitie breedband, DEAB en opties van gemeentes om te participeren.

  4. Nerdies says:
    October 22, 2009 at 16:43

    Blog over concept-handreiking ‘Goed op weg met breedband’ (www.ez.nl) zal leuk zijn! Kijk maar naar definitie breedband, DEAB en opties van gemeentes om te participeren.

  5. tpoulus says:
    November 13, 2009 at 11:03

    Hi Herman, I happen to know where the measurements were taken, but as far as I know: IPTV and VOD are not available, just analogue TV.

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