THE INTERNET AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT A CABLE EUROPE FACTSHEET

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1 Petabytes* HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE he vital role played by the internet in our daily lives is well recognised. Its impact is felt at every level, be it social, political or economic. nd the vast majority of what the internet has brought us has been to our enormous benefit. It has enriched our lives in ways that the early internet visionaries could never have predicted From an internet initially based on static information, with very low data traffic and a limited user base, surfing the web 0 became just one option within a myriad of new opportunities. he number of users has increased beyond every prediction Source: CISCO, as Virtual have Network the number Index and variety of possible services. * unit he of result computer is memory a global or data tsunami storage capacity of data equal to traffic,04 terabytes generated and delivered every second of every day. Petabytes* Global Growth in ata raffic Billion Global Increase in Users Source: CISCO, Virtual Network Index * unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to,04 terabytes Source: CISCO, Virtual Network Index Billion

2 HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE mount of data ata Consumption vs. ime Sensitivity Video streaming Online gaming VoIP call Online shopping services Very time sensitive Not time sensitive s the above graphic shows, the issue isn t just about sheer volume. he internet is also highly interactive today, which brings with it a new dimension of time sensitivity. ime sensitive services are more and more the norm, and time sensitive data cannot be handled in the same way as other traffic on the internet. s a consequence, the internet ecosystem continually needs to evolve to accommodate and facilitate these new service requirements.

3 HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE HOW OES HE INERNE WORK? he Common Language of Computers he Common Language of Computers ransfer Control Protocol / Protocol (CP/IP) ransfer Control Protocol / Protocol (CP/IP) he name internet stands for Interconnected Network. hat s what the internet is: a huge network of networks with millions of computers and devices interconnected and sharing content. Each and every service using the internet as its delivery platform follows the same fundamental rules which have underpinned internet delivery from the beginning. here are two concepts underpinning the functioning of today s internet: protocols and packets. Protocols work as the agreed language that every device connected to the internet uses to communicate and be understood. he most commonly used protocol is the CP-IP (ransfer Control Protocol/ Protocol). Example: journey to Cable Europe s website Example: journey to Cable Europe s website End User s End User s 4 omain Name Server Website Hosting omain Name Server Website Hosting he user types cable-europe.eu on the web browser. By pressing enter, the user launches a highly complex process of information exchange. he ISP sends this request to a domain server that translates the web address into an IP address using a predetermined format of numbers, eg. is translated into fter the ISP gets this numeric address, a new request is sent to a router that can reach Cable Europe s website hosting service provider. 4 fter receiving this request, Cable Europe s server sends the content to the user. his process takes around one second in real time.

4 HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE Because sending all the information contained in a given communication simultaneously could slow down delivery, internet engineers created what is called packet switching, which is the dividing of all data which is sent over the internet into small packets. his efficient process sends each packet of a given data file such as an or a video individually through the internet, allowing them to travel at high speed and then regrouping them at the destination. Of course, this is only possible due to the classification method that identifies each packet individually as part of the original data file sent. hese two systems of protocols and packets are crucial to the functioning of today s internet and vital to the continued growth of ever more innovative services. he Journey of ata Sender nodes Recepient nodes Server 4

5 HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE HE Connection ROLE OF OKRFFIC MNGEMEN Over time, many services which were previously delivered over distinct platforms have migrated to the internet. One of the many examples of this migration is the V Everywhere concept, through which consumers enjoy not only an ever growing Connection variety of content KO but also the convenience of viewing their preferred programming wherever there is an internet connection. So, the internet of today has flourished into a multiuse platform where a huge variety of professional and recreational content is created and shared. In this context, and bearing in mind the complexity of time and volume sensitivities set out above, we can immediately understand that the demands upon the network in order to deliver reliable services are growing exponentially. We can illustrate the role played by traffic management by using the five examples of different service types referred to above, ie video streaming, online gaming, VoIP call, online shopping and services. In all of these examples, traffic management is needed to varying degrees to overcome problems such as congestion and packet loss both of which have an immediate impact on the end user. For example, during peak usage times traffic management can ensure that data packets which are time sensitive (voice call or a video) are prioritised over data packets that are less time sensitive (an or web browsing). he Role of raffic Management in Quality of Good streaming Quick navigation High definition Stream not loading Slow navigation Pixellation occurs Quick navigation Good connections Real time action Slow navigation Unstable connection Gameplay freezes No noise Good quality No delay Noisy Broken conversations elay Quick navigation Good shopping experience Happy customers Slow navigation Unpleasant shopping experience isatisfied customers Swift reception of mails Mails may be delayed 5

6 HE INERNE N RFFIC MNGEMEN CBLE EUROPE FCSHEE HE ROLE OF SPECILISE SERVICES he internet has had an extraordinary evolution to date, and is still a very dynamic environment. Many new, innovative services and applications will unquestionably emerge in the future. Some services will require an end to end quality that an internet connection of today when it is subject to only very limited traffic management measures will not be able to deliver. s which have great potential online high definition video conferencing or telemedicine HE INERNE OF HE FUURE will not fulfil customers expectations because the quality is not sufficient. End to end quality can be assured if these services, which are known as specialised services, are subject to specific /continuous traffic management. raffic management in this case responds to the individual customer s specific needs and can be applied by ISPs or at the request of a third party such as a web service provider. What you might think the internet is he ingredients for the onward development towards as yet undreamed of uses for the internet are there: the technology is in place, the consumer appetite undiminished, and the commercial and creative innovators know no bounds. N FINLLY How internet savvy are you? Here s our quick guide. longside the ongoing upgrade and innovation within the networks sits the parallel requirement of smart, transparent and appropriate management of traffic. hese are crucial keys in continuing to unlock the future potential of the World Wide Web. Backbone B Content What you might think the internet is What the internet really is Local copy in Cache Server Backbone Content Backbone Content B B irect Peering represents the section of the data journey where the ISPs apply traffic management What his the is internet sometimes really referred isto as the ISP leg or the last mile B represents the wider internet ecosystem, and are alternative data routes, deployed by content providers Local copy in Cache Server 6 Backbone venue des rts, Brussels, Belgium : F: E: info@cable-europe.eu Content