Friday, April 26th 2019
Net Netrality Redux: COX Service Provider Launches "Elite Gamer" Fastlane Add-on Service
I'll abstain from commenting and just let you guys sort this news piece out: internet service provider Cox has introduced a new fast lane option to their internet service. Dubbed the "Elite Gamer" add-on, the optional $15 service will work to ensure gamers get the best possible experience in their favorite multiplayer games. According to Cox, this "hidden" fastlane for internet traffic will be routed through a gaming-centric routing network, which will allow for up to "34 percent less lag, 55 percent fewer ping spikes, and 45 percent less jitter" than its existing internet service.
Apex Legends, Fortnite and Overwatch are the current games being touted as having specific routing pathways, and this will work with absolutely no input from the user. Data packets from these applications will be automatically sorted and rerouted through Cox' servers, which also means that this service does exactly - and limitedly - what it aims to. There will be no other improvements to the overall "interneting" experience: it's a cool $15 for what amounts to (prospectively) higher K/D ratios. It remains to be seen what impact this actually has in the competitive scene, and whether or not the listed games' lag compensation techniques serve to even the playing field somewhat. Let me throw a small wrench into the equation here: more services like this will eventually appear, which may or may not be specifically geared towards gaming. Nothing prevents ISP's from creating application or content-specific data caps, for which you'll then have to purchase data bundles or subscription services (this happens in Portugal already, but it's mostly limited to mobile bandwidth). A bright, split-lane future awaits all of us.
Source:
via Tom's Hardware
Apex Legends, Fortnite and Overwatch are the current games being touted as having specific routing pathways, and this will work with absolutely no input from the user. Data packets from these applications will be automatically sorted and rerouted through Cox' servers, which also means that this service does exactly - and limitedly - what it aims to. There will be no other improvements to the overall "interneting" experience: it's a cool $15 for what amounts to (prospectively) higher K/D ratios. It remains to be seen what impact this actually has in the competitive scene, and whether or not the listed games' lag compensation techniques serve to even the playing field somewhat. Let me throw a small wrench into the equation here: more services like this will eventually appear, which may or may not be specifically geared towards gaming. Nothing prevents ISP's from creating application or content-specific data caps, for which you'll then have to purchase data bundles or subscription services (this happens in Portugal already, but it's mostly limited to mobile bandwidth). A bright, split-lane future awaits all of us.
97 Comments on Net Netrality Redux: COX Service Provider Launches "Elite Gamer" Fastlane Add-on Service
For what I pay, you'd expect no data caps. Welp, that ain't true. Still a 1TB data cap. Which is actually quite low in the days of 50GB game downloads, and 4K streaming.
I don't even want to think about my ISP looking into my Internet usage and trying to sell me a bundle for Twitter/Youtube/DA/etc.
It is as predicted customers can only vote with their wallets where possible.
That's the issue with Net Neutrality being gone, it's very easy for an ISP to make QoS rules slowing down specific traffic (like Fortnite/Overwatch/Apex in this case), then charge more. It's being sold as an improvement over base. But who's to say they don't just crank speeds for those 3 games down by 50% in QoS rules and then sell an add-on service for $15 that removes those limits. And that can and will be done for just about anything from games to Netflix, etc. Hence the need to VPN and keep prying ISP eyes off our data.
Edit: uses GPN, Gamers Private Network, powered by WTfast?
On a serious note tho... This is a bad thing especially where the bandwidth is almost saturated as it means they are throttling everybody else who does not subscribe tho this "service".
Although, it's also not what this is, if that's what your saying, yeah.
Changes like this won't just impact ISP customers, but all these companies the ISP will try to setup packages for will be impacted as well.
If Comcast comes out and says to keep streaming Netflix or Prime and so on, I'm cutting my subscription to those services and not paying Comcast anything extra for something I already had service for.
Overpriced plans with data caps. I'm glad they don't serve my area.
All I want to say that the symmetrical nature of the fiber is something that cannot give up anymore. No need for "special" lanes because all the return lanes are fast and dedicated.
Cable internet has to deal with the inherent asymmetry of the technology plus sharing the paths. Personally I think is just fine that whomever need low latency to pay a premium. Pay your own share, stop whining that others should pay for that.
Same with the data caps. Not everyone streams 4K HDR, why should they pay for it? To make it cheaper for the ones that stream 4K HDR?
You don't like it, fine, get fiber. Or move somewhere else, if fiber isn't available. Parents always move in better school districts and pay a premium on housing. Twitch gamers can do the same to live in areas with fiber/FiOS.
Complaining about tiered pricing is like buying a Chevy Spark and complying that the "cheap", "greedy", GM won't give you a Corvette ZR1. As in they are not speed "neutral".
For me, at this point, a "lowly" 150/150MBps is plenty fast for the whole house.
As pro-net neutrality as I am, that isn't an issue here. It's just Cox reselling an already questionable service.
There is no question upload is better on Fiber. There is no question copper cable is dated. There is an argument ISPs are dragging their feet implementing FTTH, but that's really not what this is about at all.It did, slightly. Verizon Wireless didn't throttle video service because the FCC told them to quit breaking rules. Now, they do again. And they charge you to have it removed.
And find out that even if the "price" of the Internet you think is better, the wages are also so much lower. So all in all, it costs you an equal amount of time in your life to pay for that service.
Plus you have to live in crowded cities, in blocks next to blocks, to allow for the economy of that cheap service delivery to work too.
Whenever a go to the US and hear about internet availability, speed and costs I can't shake the feeling that there's an ISP cartel there and that everyone is getting scammed.