Telstra is now planning to slow the speed at which its ADSL and Broadband customers download content through peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in peak periods as part of a new trial to provide them with better bandwidth savings.
A Telstra statement said it would be conducting the trial on a "small number" of ADSL customers in Victoria.
Broadband networks have been coming under increasing pressure in recent times with the explosion of hand held devices like FAST smartphones and tablets that now also add to the list of devices that consume internet , other than the traditional Desktop PC.
AS per a statement , P2P networks are commonly used to download pirated material such as movies, music and video games and so speeds of many consumers could be affected. Many popular software’s like torrents software’s and DC++ use peer to peer networks, including some chat messengers with the capability in the past.
As per media reports “the telco planned to introduce throttling as a "trial" that could become permanent and which required users to opt out if they didn’t want to take part in it.The trial could begin as soon as this week.
Critics of ISPs says that interference with P2P downloading or throttling could also affect users that use peer to peer networks for legal purposes.
"Once the trial is complete we will consider the results as part of our future network planning and product development activities," the company said.
Telstra published a blog post explaining its trial after Fairfax Media published this story.
