Verizon P2P Effort Supports Efficient File Sharing

Communications download Peer-to-Peer protocol

A presentation Friday in New York revealed the results of the tests, conducted with the collaboration of Pando Networks, a peer-assisted content delivery service provider, and Yale University, which monitored the test. Verizon senior technologist and co-chair of the P4P Working Group, Douglas Pasko, said the test results were "phenomenal" and said the new P2P protocol would drastically reduce download times. "Customer and network benefits were seen as soon as the test began," he said in a statement.

The test results of the P4P intelligent software were made at the Distributed Computing Industry Association's (DCIA) P2P Market Conference in New York City. The DCIA sponsored the Proactive network Provider Participation for P2P (P4P) workgroup.

Verizon spokesman Jim Smith called it an "empowerment of closed systems" with Pando Network's file-sharing software acting like a "find the best route" function for peer-to-peer transfers. "All the material sent to the receiving person is coded, and is there for the use of the recipient only," Smiths said. "It can't be shared outside, in any way shape or form."

The comments aim to assuage fears concerning P2P file sharing an online piracy, which Smith says managed (and legal) file sharing do not contribute to. "To lay it on the entire Internet is a bit of an irresponsible thing to do," he said. "This is designed for already protected materials -- it doesn't allow the whole piracy function to happen."

Instead, Smith said the speeding up of file transfers represents a step forward in file sharing that enables efficient P2P routing that lowers cost and improves download performance as more users access the content. "To the degree that customers are using their networks, the more this process is adopted, so that the routed programs can find the fasted route through the internet, the better it is for the person who's network it's on," he said. "This serves as a replacement for the client-server model."

As more and more users access large files from the Internet, such as movies and television shows, Smith said content holders need to think about more efficient, cost-effective ways of disseminating that content. "It's about efficiency for content holder," he said. "If we share our maps, the Pando people can find the best path. This is just the initial phase which proves it does work."