ISPs fear iPlayer overload


Jemima Kiss
Monday August 13, 2007
MediaGuardian.co.uk

Concern is growing among internet service providers that the popularity of the BBC's web TV service iPlayer could overload the UK's data networks.

The BBC's director of future media and technology, Ashley Highfield, has already met Tiscali chief executive Mary Turner to discuss the issue, and executives from Carphone Warehouse and BT are also reported to be involved.

The ISPs are warning that they may be forced to step up "traffic shaping" measures that would restrict the number of users that could access the iPlayer at any one time.

Several major ISPs, including Tiscali and Virgin Media, already engage in traffic shaping, where data being used for internet telephony and email is prioritised over high-bandwidth media such as file sharing and video streaming.

A spokeswoman for Tiscali said the issue had "been brewing for a while" and that ISPs have not been satisfied with the BBC's reassurances. "There has to be a commercial model that works for all parties," she said.

"That could mean a service that operates by revenue share to cover the cost of delivery, but the BBC is different because it is provided for free. Ultimately there's a cost to providing the additional bandwidth needed for the distribution of these services and it's not OK just to pass those on to us."

She added that the iPlayer is barely two weeks old and that there has not yet been any adverse affect on the network, but that take-up by hundreds of thousands of people would have an effect.

The BBC has set a modest target for adoption of its iPlayer, aiming for 500,000 users in the first six months, although actual take-up is likely to be higher.

The iPlayer is based on peer-to-peer technology, in which files are mainly distributed between users rather than all being served by a main host.

While cost-efficient for the company that launches the service, those distribution costs are transferred to the ISPs that handle traffic between users.

The BBC's iPlayer is just the latest in a string of web TV launches, including ITV.com, Channel 4's 4OD, Joost and Babelgum - all of which are based on P2P technology.

BT and Verisign, providers of the P2P technology used by the BBC and Channel 4, both declined to comment.

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