Ofcom has published a new guide to help consumers understand the ways in which fixed-line and mobile internet service providers (ISPs) might manage their broadband services during busy peak periods. With 46 million people in the UK having access to broadband and many using it for data heavy activities such as streaming and downloading, the internet is becoming increasingly busy.
To ensure that networks operate efficiently, ISPs can restrict or ration traffic on their networks, or give priority to some types of traffic over others. This is known as ‘traffic management’. To help consumers better understand this practice, Ofcom’s Guide to Traffic Management highlights: the different ways ISPs can manage internet traffic; the circumstances when traffic management policies might be put into practice; how traffic management can affect consumers’ online experience; and ISPs’ individual traffic management policies.
The guide is now available to download from the Ofcom website. Here to read more.
