Broadband ISP Exetel has announced that due to cost pressures it will halve the speed of peer to peer traffic such as BitTorrent for its users.

In a statement to customers, Exetel revealed that P2P traffic was becoming an increasing burden on its network, and that it would begin "de-prioritizing" it.

"From mid November, approximately, Exetel will restrict the amount of bandwidth it provides to P2P traffic to approximately 50% of what all aggregated users of P2P protocols could, theoretically, use during the period 12 noon to 12 midnight each day."

In simple terms, Exetel believes it will have the effect of "reducing P2P download speeds by 50%".

Defending the move, Exetel claimed that "no-one" would be inconvenienced, and that it was being done "to retain the current low prices and high download allowances for all users." Exetel says the system will cost $100k to implement, but will save $60k/month in bandwidth costs.

Backlash from users has already begun, with some describing it as "unfair" having only signed up to Exetel in the last week.

New ADSL2+ provider Regional Internet Australia has also implemented a P2P shaping mechanism after it ran into bandwidth troubles recently. Responding to customer complaints, RIA admitted it had begun slowing P2P to fix "the slow speeds experienced by users with all other traffic."

But it would not guarantee the shaping would be removed after more bandwidth was commissioned. "When the backhaul upgrade has been completed this system will be placed under review", said an RIA representative.

Links:

• Amnet cops flak over slow broadband  (Whirlpool, 5 Oct 2006)