P2P Driving New Edge Challenges
July's Edition of Carrier Wholesale News

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) has been referred to as the next generation of the Internet. Previously, peers needed to be equal because they had largely homogenous architectures. But the connectivity and diversity of the Internet gives peer-to-peer a new role that allows growing computer and data resources at the edge of the networks.

Enhancing this prospect is the emergence of a fully decentralised P2P standards-based approach to communications, referenced as SoSimple. The research for the standard is being conducted at the College of William & Mary at Williamsburg together with Cisco.

SoSimple addresses corporate privacy concerns, eliminates dependency on constant Internet connectivity and supports ad hoc groups. P2P VoIP, Video and IM using SIP and SIMPLE is gaining momentum in the IETF. SIP may be paving the way for Open Standards Peer-to-Peer IP communications.

The degree of functional independence that P2P, Grids, Clusters and web services have from the networks they ride on is a cause for concern, not only in terms of security issues, but more fundamentally because of the loss of control by traditional network providers.

The shift of value to the edge represents a core challenge for carriers. Although the circuit switched architecture, which accounts for the bulk of service provider revenues, is highly reliable, it is nevertheless a massive centralised processing network which is neither fully depreciated nor built for packet switching.

Migration to a more efficient, distributed packet switched network will be an evolutionary process but still requires investment. In essence, a hybrid network of TDM and packet-based assets is emerging but carriers still need to understand what business models are sustainable for their wholesale businesses as the migration continues.

Current research by BroadGroup is focusing on generic strategies for wholesale carrier businesses as they confront an ever increasing set of new challenges.

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