Why Telecom Operators Deliberately Slow or Stop Your Surfing
Wondered why your favorite Web page gets hung up or downloading of a large file inexplicably stalls? It’s often due to telecom operator using a technique called throttling.
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people
What’s the Latest Development?
Wondered why your favorite Web page gets hung up or downloading of a large file inexplicably stalls? An expert reveals that the blame often lies with the telecom operator, which selectively slows broadband speeds to keep traffic flowing on its network, using a sorting technique called throttling.
What’s the Big Idea?
To detect whether broadband services are being throttled by a network operator, people around the world are turning to software called Glasnost, which measures whether operators are slowing uploads and downloads. The latest results suggest that throttling occurs worldwide, though operators are reluctant to discuss it much beyond confirming they use it.
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people
