Enriching Communications Magazine 'To Go'

Meeting the Enhanced QoS Challenge
(transcript excerpt)

By L Gyalog, M. Weldon and M. Scott

Highlights

• Video explosion demands enhanced QoS
• Flexible, adaptable QoS for a multitude of services
• QoS = Service Quality = Growth and Profits = a Win/Win/Win

Why is the speed and download rate of my public high-speed Internet (HSI) so variable? Why doesn’t TV over the Web look like HDTV, and why do video calls over the Internet have inconsistent quality? Why are multi-user, interactive online games sometimes ruined in an instant by network quality issues?

Great questions! They share an answer. You have experienced the inconsistency of “best effort” delivery without Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. The good news is that help is on the way and it can be a win/win/win for:

• End users
• Network operators, both mobile and fixed wireless
• Third-party services and applications providers

What is QoS and who cares?

QoS refers to a broad set of capabilities and parameters for controlling:

• Upstream & downstream bandwidth – the amount of communication pipe capacity allocated or allowed
• Latency and jitter – consistent response times crucial to a smooth real-time experience
• Service quality – information loss, service responsivity and continuity

It provides the quality that we, as users, experience with MP3s or DVDs and that we want to have on the Web. 

Click to continue to read or download the complete magazine article as well as view information on our sources and diagrams. Or visit us at www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich.