Wireless carriers openly considering charging per service

• Lan wrote on 2010-12-22 04:05
  [Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/12/12-19-10allot.jpg]

  
  

  That slide above is no joke -- it comes from a marketing webinar put on by two companies that count Verizon, AT&T and Vodafone as clients, and it describes a system that identifies customer internet activity and charges a different rate for using Facebook than watching YouTube, while allowing access to Vodafone services for free. Yes, that's basically the nightmare scenario for net neutrality advocates. The two companies behind the slide are Allot Communications and Openet, which sell subscriber-management tools to carriers around the world -- tools that Allot's director of marketing says can scan even encrypted packets to determine what service customers are using and charge accordingly. We're not making this up -- here's the direct quote from the webinar:
  [QUOTE][We use] a number of different methods to accurately identify the application -- methods like heuristic analysis, behavioral and historical analysis, deep packet inspection, and a number of other techniques. What's key is that we have the best application identification available on the market, which means that even applications that are encrypted or use other methods to evade detection will be correctly identified and classified... We essentially feed this real-time information about traffic and application usage into the policy and charging system. Each subscriber has a particular service plan that they sign up for, and they're as generic or as personalized as the operator wants.

  Yeah, that's not how anyone actually wants the internet to work -- except carriers, who've been saying increasingly insane things about charging even smartphone manufacturers for customer data usage lately. What's more, it's rumored that the FCC will cave to Verizon and AT&T and exempt wireless internet service from major parts of net neutrality regulation it's expected to pass next week, so this nonsense could very well hit the US sooner rather than later. We'll be keeping a close eye on things -- we'll let you know.[/QUOTE]
  
  http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/19/wireless-carriers-openly-considering-charging-per-service/
  
  Well, glad I'm Canadian.
• Akemii wrote on 2010-12-22 04:08
  TL;DR.
  
  I have optimum. Whatever :D
• TA wrote on 2010-12-22 04:10
  Wow, that's some total bs.
• Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-12-22 04:12
  Just like how governments want to restrict information access to different groups of people.
  Just like how facebook, youtube and some other services being banned in China.
  I don't support this idea whatsoever. Those greedy businesses.
  
  It simply won't work unless they are monopolists of the market.
• gentrone wrote on 2010-12-22 04:13
  That is outrageous.
• abc33kr wrote on 2010-12-22 04:18
  Time to pirate the internet.
• Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-12-22 04:25

  Quote from abc33kr;256687:

  Time to pirate the internet.

  
  How to?
• ToriKitsune wrote on 2010-12-22 04:30

  Quote from Pride;256640:

  
  
  I have optimum. Whatever :D

  
  
  [FONT="Century Gothic"]*high five* :awesome:
  In all seriousness though, this is a bit... much.[/FONT]:smoke:
• Akemii wrote on 2010-12-22 04:38

  Quote from ToriKitsune;256735:

  [FONT="Century Gothic"]*high five* :awesome:
  In all seriousness though, this is a bit... much.[/FONT]:smoke:

  
  
  Yeah this better not happen.
  
  Kitsu have you tried Verizon? We switched to verizon for a week, it sucked so bad. OPT is like God.
  
  Paired up with Google Chrome it's amazing <3
• Zid wrote on 2010-12-22 04:42
  T-mobile is fine for now.
  
  But... this is just making "free" money off of something that should be exempted. I might as well carry a netbook and laugh at the iPad people.
• Lan wrote on 2010-12-22 04:53
  Psht Google ISP mega speed internet go!
• woohoohelloppl wrote on 2010-12-22 05:11
  I don't see Comcast up there, so yay.
• 12y4jv wrote on 2010-12-22 05:26

  Quote from Lan;256627:

  Well, glad I'm Canadian.

  
  
  Mass migration to Canada anyone?
  
  Honestly though, if US carriers are considering this, no doubt Canadian carriers will consider it as well if it ever passes. In that case, migration to China for next to dirt cheap phone service!
• Lan wrote on 2010-12-22 05:30

  Quote from 12y4jv;256831:

  Mass migration to Canada anyone?
  
  Honestly though, if US carriers are considering this, no doubt Canadian carriers will consider it as well if it ever passes. In that case, migration to China for next to dirt cheap phone service!

  
  
  Haha no -_-
• 12y4jv wrote on 2010-12-22 05:32

  Quote from Lan;256835:

  Haha no -_-

  
  
  What's there to "no" about?