Internet rush hour

Global Internet usage has increased significantly across the world from 12,881,000 hosts in 1998 to 908,585,739 hosts in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.isc.org/solutions/survey/history |title=Internet host count history | Internet Systems Consortium |publisher=Isc.org |date=2012-07-06 |accessdate=2013-03-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518101749/http://www.isc.org/solutions/survey/history |archivedate=2012-05-18 }} Internet use has surged with the introduction of mobile devices and tablet computing. Internet access has also changed during this time frame from 56 kbit/s dial-up to high-speed bandwidth access at 100 Mbit/s or higher. The increase in Internet users and increase in access bandwidth is a contributing factor{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} to the Internet Rush Hour.

The table below shows the big picture of world internet usage versus the population.

File:Internet Connectivity Distribution & Core.svg

End users connect to the Internet through Internet service providers (ISPs). The Tier 1 ISPs own the infrastructure, which includes routers, switches and fiber optic footprints. The back bone of the Internet is connected through Tier 1 ISPs that peer with other Tier 1 ISPs in a transit-free network. These peering agreements between Tier 1 ISPs have no overt settlements, meaning there is no money exchanged for the right to pass traffic between Tier 1 peers. Tier 2 and Tier 3 ISPs are customers of the Tier 1 ISPs and rely on the Tier 1 ISPs to route their traffic across the Internet. This is a disadvantage for the lower tier ISPs due to the amount of traffic hops and shared common gateways to Tier 1 ISPs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gin.ntt.net/|title=Home|website=NTT-GIN}} The shared common gateways are choke points that contribute to the Internet Rush Hour. Each Tier 1 ISP has a peering policy that defines how IP Traffic exchanges are created and guidelines for managing peer traffic.

• AT&T | AS 7018
• DTAG | AS 3320
• XO | AS 2828
• Telecom Tunisia | AS 6762
• Inteliquent | AS 3257
• Verizon | AS 701
• Sprint | AS 1239
• Telia | AS 1299
• NTT | AS 2914
• Level 3 | AS 1 / 3356 / 3549
• Tata | AS 6453
• Telefónica | AS 12956
• Zayo | AS 6461{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Some ISPs have been criticized for implementing bandwidth throttling to intentionally slow down a user's internet service at various points on the network. The key problem at peak hour is however the peering capacity: it represents the size of the doors between two networks. If everyone wants to go through the door at the same time, it gets jammed. The constant increase in Internet traffic requires regular increases in the size of the peering points and there is a dispute as to who is going to cover the cost of these increases. For instance, Netflix and Google are reported to represent more than 50% of peak hour downstream traffic in the US in a study by Sandvine (figures for October 2013). There is a commercial and legal battle in progress to determine who will pay for the costs induced by peak hour traffic. Three positions exist:

• The users must cover the cost through higher subscription fees because they generate the higher traffic.
• The ISPs must cover the cost because they receive money from the users to access the Internet and it's part of their job to guarantee that the users can access the services.
• The top content providers must cover the cost because they receive money from the user to access their service and they use an unfair share of the Internet infrastructure.

As an example of these fights, Comcast went up against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in regard to net neutrality, or keeping their networks open regardless of the content.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/06/AR2010040600742.html |title=Court rules for Comcast over FCC in 'net neutrality' case |work=Washingtonpost.com |date=2010-04-07 |accessdate=2013-03-25 |first=Cecilia |last=Kang}} The federal appeals court ruled that the FCC had no authority to stop Comcast from slowing internet traffic.

A study with British telecom regulators, Ofcom and SamKnows Broadband determined that the average British broadband connection actually achieves less than half its advertised speed.{{cite web|url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/244926/british-broadband-running-at-half-the-headline-speed |title=British broadband running at half the headline speed | Broadband | News |publisher=PC Pro |date=2009-01-08 |accessdate=2013-03-25}} That study determined that the average broadband speed was 3.6 Mbit/s versus an advertised speed of 7.2 Mbit/s with speed declining 30% during Internet Rush hour.

Netflix rated various ISPs in 2011 on their ability to stream content to consumers and determine what type of bandwidth the ISPs provide. Netflix tested HD streams which use about 4,800 kilobits per second and averaged what ISPs were able to provide.{{cite news|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/28/netflix-isp_n_815020.html |title=Netflix Ranks Internet Provider Performance: See Who's Fastest |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= 2011-01-28|accessdate=2013-03-25 |first=Amy |last=Lee}}

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) measuring broadband program from August 2011, is a study of performance in the United States covering 80% of the residential market. The report measures ISPs promise of performance to advertised bandwidth rates. In 2011, the average ISP delivered 87% of advertised rates, increasing to 96% performance in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america/2012/july |title=Measuring Broadband America - July 2012 |publisher=FCC.gov |date= July 2012|accessdate=2013-03-25}} Average broadband speeds increased from 11.1 Mbit/s in 2011 to 14.3 Mbit/s in 2012. Further increases may be inhibited by outdated modems which prevent ISPs from controlling broadband performance.

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Africa topic|Internet in}}

{{Americas topic|Internet in}}

{{Asia topic|Internet in}}

{{Internet in Europe}}

{{Oceania topic|Internet in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush Hour, Internet}}

Category:Internet architecture