Video requires a lot of data. And streaming means that this data must be downloaded in a timely manner. If the data cannot reach the subscriber in time, the video may stutter, become pixelated, degrade in resolution, or stop outright. The problem starts occurring when some subscribers consume an excessive amount of data, and their usage then impacts the quality of other subscribers’ experiences by causing congestion on the network link, which delays other data transfers. It only takes a few users to start causing network-wide problems.
As a provider, what can you do?
One solution is to throttle these heavy users to lower speeds — providing what we call “fair access” — and relieve the congestion that they are causing. In order to do this, you need to have an active, integrated solution that can keep tabs on individual subscribers and dynamically lower their bandwidth when the network is under heavy use. Such a solution must let you decide each individual’s quota, and send the proper network commands to temporarily lower their bandwidth when they pass that threshold. This has proven to be a very effective solution to the growing problem of bandwidth demands on a network, without charging each individual user for their overage.
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