[ILUG] Help needed about Broadband Ratio?

[Justin Mason]

Thomas Bridge writes:
> On 25/02/2008, Kevin Chen <kevin2600 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,
> >     one of my friend try to have a broadband connection from Digiweb.
> >  And he quite interesting the DSL option for Download speed up to 2MB,
> >  but there is also said Ratio would be 48:1? I'm confused about this
> >  Ratio thing. Could anyone point out more info about it and if there is
> >  any formular to work it out? Thanks!
> 
> Contention Ratios are better described as planning ratios.
> 
> I'm sure things have changed since I left Ireland, but in the last
> conversation I had with Eircom about their wholesale broadband product
> that's exactly what it was.
> 
> It is true that it would be practically unusable if everyone tried to
> use their bandwidth at once, but that rarely happens,

mind you, this may be changing in the UK as usage of the BBC iPlayer,
and similar p2p video streaming apps, spreads:
http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/02/08/iplayer-usage-effect-a-bandwidth-explosion/

--j.