Broadband Guide

Traffic management: voluntary code for broadband providers

Friday 18 March, 2011

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

The UK’s biggest broadband providers have signed up to new rules to help consumers understand how and why traffic management affects them.

Traffic management policies are used by the majority of broadband providers to make sure customers get the best possible online experience, even at peak times when more people are using the internet.

But although traffic management affects the vast majority of broadband users, many consumers do not understand what it means for them.

What is traffic management?

Traffic management involves slowing down data that isn’t speed-critical, such as emails or downloads, to make sure services like internet phone calls or online video run smoothly.

Traffic management is usually applied at peak times, such as evenings and weekends. However, some providers manage certain types of traffic - like peer-to-peer filesharing services - at all times because they use so much bandwidth.

Traffic management policies are also used to curb the online activities of the heaviest downloaders on a provider’s network, though this usually only affects a small number of customers.

For example, when BT dropped its fair usage policy in March 2010, it said that the policy had only affected 0.5% of users who downloaded more than 300GB a month.

The new traffic management code

Now, for the first time, broadband providers have agreed to publish their traffic management information in a common format - making it far easier for consumers to compare one policy against another.

Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), which spearheaded the code, says: “There has been more heat than light in the debate about traffic management over recent years.

“This commitment to provide clear and comparable information in a common format is very important. It will not only help to ensure consumers are better informed about the services they buy and use, but will also provide a clearer picture for policy makers of the way in which traffic management is actually used in the UK.”

The providers that have signed up to the new voluntary code cover 90% of all fixed-line broadband connections, and 60% of mobile customers in the UK. These suppliers are:

• BT (www.BT.com)
• O2 (www.O2.co.uk)
• Sky (www.Sky.com)
• TalkTalk broadband (www.Talktalk.co.uk)
• Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com)
• Three (www.Three.co.uk)
• Vodafone (www.Vodafone.co.uk)

The code will be piloted in 2011 and reviewed in early 2012 to fine tune the approach, says the BSG.

The aims of the new code

By signing up to the new code, broadband providers are committing themselves to the following three obligations:

• To provide more information to consumers about what traffic management takes place, why and with what impact
• To provide customers with clear, easy-to-understand information on traffic management so that they can better compare broadband packages
• To publish a common Key Facts Indicator (KFI) table, summarising the traffic management policy for each package on offer. These tables will be available on provider’s websites by end of June 2011.

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