Carrier pricing and network neutrality

This item on the PFF blog is another response to the recent discussion on network neutrality and carrier pricing. Do you find the FedEx analogy apt?

Update: Here is an article in favor of network neutrality published in the Financial Times. This debate is clearly percolating from the blogoshpere to the MSM (main stream media) ...

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Network Neutrality

NGN in the UK

In a follow-on to this item, here is a report from the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom. While this report does not propose a new architecture for the Internet, it does propose a commision to study how to transition to a NGN core.

What, exactly, do you think is meant by "a NGN core"? Would you expect the tension between network neutrality and the economic interests of the carriers (discussed elsewhere on this blog)? Would you be able to infer an outcome based on the composition of this panel (especially since the panel is supposed to be industry-funded)? What influence would you expect this group to have?

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Internet, Network Neutrality, NGN, UK

Next Generation DVD standards

I have blogged about this earlier (see this). In this article in today's NY Times (free subscription required), Toshiba is announcing a HD-DVD player for <$500 in March, whilst the competing Blu Ray players will come out "this year" priced at $1000 - $1800. Blu Ray is also supposed to be included on the Sony Playstation 3 due later this year.

Do you expect a "winner" in this technology battle? If so, does your guess about which standard will win change based on this pricing and availability information? Why?

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Standards, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD

Google 'Ecosystem' and Wall Street

This article caught my attention ... in particular David Ng's use of "ecosystem". He seems to refer to external (to Google) services, but might the notion also apply to the plethora of services Google has recently introduced (which have been reported widely in the media)? Are network externalities a factor here, or are there other economic phenomena at work?


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Network externalities, Google

Too Much Throughput?

Happy New Year! I would like to start the year by drawing your attention to this article in David Isenberg's blog ... if you recall, Isenberg has an interest in network neutrality ... see this and this ... on this thread, you might also want to see this from Mark Evans' blog.

Do you expect demand for backplane speed networks to evolve? What applications might be compelling for networks of this speed? Does this reasoning apply to mobile networks as well? How would you balance network neutrality objectives and the finanical interests of carriers who would be providing this service? Do you think municipal networks are an answer? If so, why?

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broadband, Internet, network neutrality