BBN/GTEI

Jamie Scheinblum jamie at fast.net
Sat Aug 22 03:40:30 UTC 1998


If we look at any other downstream, or end, customer, they still pay their
provider for a full circuit's worth of bandwidth.  Even if they are not
symmetrically using their bandwidth.  So, you pay not only the telco, but
your upstream provider for use of data in both directions.  ISPs use
customers like this to not only balance their traffic patterns with other
services that suck massive bandwidth (such as universities and dialup), but
to provide additional revenue (by not discounting a circuit in half because
they primarily use traffic headed in one direction)

A network that has chosen a business model that is tailored towards outbound
only transit should be prepared to pay for transit the same way their
customers do.  Their customers should pay a premium to have a network that
is better connected than they could provide themselves, not so their
upstream can reap the benefits of not having to pay for their own transit.
These companies have opted towards a business model that does not balance
traffic, thus making it difficult to be a "peer" with a network.

This, of course, brings up many, many interesting questions about which
companies have the right to be at the top of the network pyramid.  Although
it seems the market place has already determined this, at least a majority
of it.

This shift in costs have been a long time coming, you can't charge your
customers for bandwidth, and then not expect to have to pay for it yourself.

-jamie
jamie at networked.org

The views stated above are mine and do not reflect those 
of my employer.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Dillon [mailto:michael at memra.com]
Sent: Friday, August 21, 1998 7:44 PM
To: nanog at merit.edu
Subject: Re: BBN/GTEI


On Fri, 21 Aug 1998, Karl Denninger wrote:
> No, its actually becoming MORE suitable.  Instead of burning the entire
> circuit in both directions, you're only burning half of it now (one
> direction).

You still have to pay for the whole circuit.

--
Michael Dillon                 -               Internet & ISP Consulting
Memra Communications Inc.      -               E-mail: michael at memra.com
Check the website for my Internet World articles -  http://www.memra.com





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