Apple Latest to Strike Interconnection Deals With Largest ISPs Following on the heels of similar and controversial interconnection deals between Netflix, Comcast and Verizon, rumors have emerged that Apple is striking similar deals with the largest ISPs. According to a blog post by Dan Rayburn, Apple's negotiating paid interconnection deals with "some of the largest ISPs in the US" in order to deliver Apple content more efficiently to consumers, bypassing some of the traditional transit partners like Level3 and Akamai. Rayburn, who has repeatedly downplayed the potential threat of these new interconnection deals, proceeds to make the assumption that because Apple hasn't been vocally complaining, they must be ok with what they're being forced to do to maintain reasonable transit quality: quote: While Netflix has used the media, consumers and lawmakers to try and argue that CDNs should get as much peering as they want, at no charge, Apple doesn’t seem to agree with that sentiment. If they do, they certainly aren’t complaining in any public forum. Netflix has been very vocal in claiming that large ISPs have been letting peering points saturate in order to Netflix has been very vocal in claiming that large ISPs have been letting peering points saturate in order to get more cash from content companies in a form of "troll toll." What's more, Netflix has denied claims that what ISPs are doing is just business as usual, arguing that being forced to pay Comcast an interconnection toll is not the same thing as paying Level3 or Cogent for longer path transit Apple drives considerably less traffic than Netflix at peak times (34% to 2%) making this an apples to orange comparison, though Apple can drive very heavy traffic during iOS updates. That other content companies have been mute on the subject is proof enough for Rayburn that the worries surrounding interconnection issues are over-hyped: quote: I think we should rely on those who actually have to build out these CDNs and pay the costs associated with doing so to tell us whether or not the current way of doing business need to be changed. But so far, out of those who have built their own CDNs to deliver content including Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Pandora, Yahoo, Ebay, Facebook, Amazon and others, only Netflix is complaining. Again though, none of those companies drive the same level of traffic as Netflix, and unlike Netflix, most of them are either too policy timid or too beholden to telecom (read: working to break into the TV sector a la Microsoft and the Xbox One) to criticize it. Some, like Apple, just have a nature of being quiet on policy issues. Apple's completely mute on net neutrality, that must mean obnoxious ISP behavior and related consumer threats aren't real, right? Apple's also currently trying to Again though, none of those companies drive the same level of traffic as Netflix, and unlike Netflix, most of them are either too policy timid or too beholden to telecom (read: working to break into the TV sector a la Microsoft and the Xbox One) to criticize it. Some, like Apple, just have a nature of being quiet on policy issues. Apple's completely mute on net neutrality, that must mean obnoxious ISP behavior and related consumer threats aren't real, right? Apple's also currently trying to gain access to the cable set top box market , which might not be the very best time to accuse the entire cable industry of being greedy and obnoxious. Netflix, Level3, Cogeco, consumer advocates and numerous other analysts all believe ISPs are using interconnection as a covert way to jack up prices immeasurably over the next few years, using their massive subscriber bases as "captive" audiences. If you've followed AT&T's attempt to repeatedly impose unreasonable tolls wherever possible on content companies, that's not quite the conspiracy theory Rayburn seems intent on painting it as. This isn't business as usual, but it's certainly designed to look like it. "Apple's not publicly complaining so there's nothing to worry about," isn't much of an argument. "Apple's not publicly complaining so there's nothing to worry about," isn't much of an argument.







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