Allot's Principles for Reasonable Network Management
With much debate around the issue of net neutrality, interested parties are looking for a solution that serves everyone’s interests. Based on our experience of working with service providers, and our understanding of the services that customers should be entitled to, Allot’s Net Reality manifesto sets out the main five principles on which, we believe, this solution should be based.
1. Customers should have the right to choose how they want to use the Internet according to their individual needs and priorities. This is true whether they are choosing service providers, service plans, payment plans or deciding which applications are most important to them. The key is to let subscribers choose for themselves and then make sure that his or her internet experience lives up to their expectations.
2. Transparency is vital. Service providers should be allowed to implement policies on their own networks to ensure its smooth operation. They must also provide clear and easily understandable information on their network management practices. These practices may include service plan options, prioritization and congestion alleviation techniques. Service Providers must also clearly communicate to subscribers what they can expect as a result of these practices.
3. Broadband networks need to be managed. They are a finite resource which requires considerable and ongoing financial investment. Experience has proven that the demand for bandwidth always exceeds the network’s capacity to supply it and consumption is only heading in one direction - up. In order for networks to continue to operate smoothly and achieve maximum efficiency, this resource must be properly managed. An efficient network is by definition proactively-managed. Anything less leads to inefficiency and dissatisfied customers.
4. Operator business models needs to be sustainable and competitive. Assuming there is no monopoly, operators should have the right to freely build and manage their networks to ensure their own business health and longevity. In order to remain competitive operators need to constantly renew their service offerings and keep pace with technological developments. Expecting service providers to keep investing in infrastructure while limiting their ability to recoup those investments is unsustainable, and will invariably lead to costs shifted onto subscribers.
5. Fair-use benefits everyone. An unmanaged network equals a network that serves the interests of the few at the expense of the many. A managed network promotes the principle of fair-use where equal access for all is assured. This prevents a small minority from “hogging” the network and adversely impacting the experience of fellow subscribers.