more on The Inquirer: Anti-Skype software kills IM, P2P too

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Marc <marcaniballi () hotmail com>
Date: September 19, 2005 11:29:12 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: RE: [IP] The Inquirer: Anti-Skype software kills IM, P2P too


While this whole idea is disturbing to say the least, I do find one  
thing
ironic;

Apparently US ISPs are all "gung-ho" to implement Skype blocking to  
protect
their "turf," but the reality is that the first folks to implement  
this will
be countries such at Saudi Arabia where the national monopoly telcos are
happy to block any infringement of their turf, and have little  
impediment to
doing so. (This happened back in 2000 when MSFT had introduced voice to
Messenger - it was summarily blocked). I guess there aren't many  
differences
between totalitarian regimes and American Telcos.

;-)

Marc

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 10:23 AM
To: Ip Ip
Subject: [IP] The Inquirer: Anti-Skype software kills IM, P2P too



Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Drzyzgula <bob () drzyzgula org>
Date: September 19, 2005 9:47:43 AM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Ip Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: The Inquirer: Anti-Skype software kills IM, P2P too



  <http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26255>

| Anti-Skype software kills IM, P2P too
| Bandwidth bandsaw released
| By: Doug Mohney
|
| Monday 19 September 2005, 07:14
|
| LAST WEEK, Verso Technologies (www.verso.com)
| announced the rollout of a "carrier-grade applications
| filter" that can block so-called bandwidth drains
| such as Skype, P2P messaging, streaming media, and
| instant messaging.
|
| Skype is singled out in the headline of the press
| release. It's not a P2P blocker, it's a "Skype
| Filtering Technology."
|
| Verso CEO Monty Bannerman, founding CTO of the NAP of
| Americas, says service providers are gung-ho about
| his new product offering. As a "free" service,
| Skype is raiding the business model of service
| providers that want to roll out VoIP services for
| their customers. "They're all telling me they hate
| Skype and they're telling me that they want to do
| something about Skype," said Bannerman in a telephone
| interview. "If you have something in your network that
| is costing you money and raiding your business model,
| I assure you you're going to do something about it."
|
| Bannerman claims that Skype and other P2P applications
| were generating up to 30 per cent of existing
| network traffic load as of last year according to
| presentations at the North American Network Operators
| Group (NANOG). Since a revenue-based service provider
| isn't making any money off that traffic load, it's
| not a good thing, especially if they plan to offer
| their own flavor of VoIP to their customer base. Since
| making the announcement, Verso has received a number
| of phone calls from existing customers as well as
| intrigued service providers.
|
| Could this technology be used to block Vonage
| service? "Sure," said Bannerman. "But we wouldn't do
| that." Bannerman drew a distinction between the more
| heavily US-regulated Vonage and Skype, saying that
| they were "different," with Vonage required to provide
| E-911 service and abide by other FCC regulations,
| while Skype had no such state-side regulation. He
| believed he had a shot at selling some of his boxes
| to Vonage in order for that company to monitor
| traffic flow.
|
| Figuring how to measure and block Skype has been a
| significant challenge, since the application has been
| difficult to measure. Verso has spent over a year
| and four engineering attempts to develop a platform
| capable of detecting, managing, and controlling
| Skype. "We are better than anyone else at this moment
| in time in detecting Skype and doing something with
| it, including turning it off."
|
| When asked if current FCC rulings and upcoming
| American federal legislation to prevent application
| blocking of any type would affect selling the
| Skype-blocker in the States, Bannerman didn't seem
| to be worried. "The World Wide Web isn't just about
| America, plunk yourself anywhere else," he said. "This
| is a product for the world market," and he pointed
| out that there's a patchwork of regulatory schemes
| around the globe. µ




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