We’ve long maintained that one of the principle benefits associated with integrating a compute grid into full-blown edge router/subscriber management system (the result being, of course, a service delivery router (SDR)) is that new network services can be conceived, developed, and deployed in “internet time” (days or weeks) as opposed to “telco time” (months or years). This capability was put to the test recently by Hill Country Telephone Cooperative (HCTC).
HCTC, which already uses SmartVideo to offer high-quality streaming movies directly to subscriber televisions, approached Zeugma recently and asked if we could develop an application that would allow their customers to dynamically adjust their downstream broadband bandwidth. We said “um, sure, shouldn’t be a problem” and completed the application in exactly 7 (seven) calendar days. A few days later it was demonstrated at HCTC and soon it will be enabled for their subscribers. Zeugma was even able to go beyond what Hill Country asked for, allowing subscribers with iPhones and iPod Touches to use those devices to dynamically increase their bandwidth. Imagine the backyard BBQ show-off whipping out his iPhone and impressing party guests by dynamically bumping bandwidth from 5Mbps to 10Mbps so that YouTube videos on his iPhone stream better.
Continue reading "The Real Deal: Services in Internet Time" »
