Google and Net Neutrality?

Google demonstrates the need for differentiated services at Google I/O conference.

Google rented out Moscone West, a beautiful venue to host 4000 developers interested in developing on Google’s platforms. The environment they created looked like the Googleplex, complete with pool tables, free candy and soda, Starbucks coffee everywhere, bean bag chairs and Wii Tennis, free lunch. etc. I felt like I was at the GooglePlex.  I could say a lot of things here, but for now I’ll just say it was a really well done event... except...

With the wireless network full from all of the attendee laptop traffic, the demos stumbled throughout the event.  If we were not watching the live presentation demos waiting for the network I/O to complete, the demo were stalling to the point of failure. One presenter shared with the audience that they were told to turn off their laptop wireless (he jokingly called it the “junk Internet service that you all get to use”) and use only the better performing hard wired ethernet cables instead.  It generated the expected laughter, but led me to think about the situation.

The end result was that his hard wired network performed better than the wireless network. But it was still somewhat sluggish for his demo in front of maybe 1000 people, perhaps congesting at the aggregation point.before heading out of Moscone West.

Why wasn’t there a mechanism for Google demo traffic to somehow be given the highest priority, shoving aside the best effort free stuff we were all using?  After all, we all came to hear about the technology and watch the demos. 

Clearly their demo traffic is more important to the success of the conference than the attendees random access to their email during the demos.

Wireless

Wired

Agregation

Aggregated shared pipe

Google Infrastructure


Didn’t Google inadvertently demonstrate clearly that there is a need to prioritize traffic for their demos?

This is ironic since Google has largely been leading the charge against anyone offering differentiated services on the last mile.

DrPeering takeaway from Google IO 2009: It seems to me that there is a reasonable requirement for the Google live demo bits to somehow have prioritized access from the demo laptops back to their servers.


-- DrPeering

What was

Wireless

Wired

Agregation

Aggregated shared pipe

Demo Traffic

FULL !!

Not much contention

Contention

What should be

Prioritized Traffic, critical to the success of the multi-million dollar event

Prioritized Traffic, hogs up most of the bandwidth. That is on purpose and business appropriate.

Google Infrastructure

By switching to the wired ethernet, Google demonstrated a need to separate their demo traffic from the masses of best effort traffic with the goal of delivering a better viewing experience to the audience.  Isn’t this the same as the cable companies offering a differentiated service that prioritizes premium bits for their customers?  Or offering a different dedicated spectrum for a new premium service in the last mile Verizon service?