Managing quality of service in an IP infrastructure environment

This article explains that quality of service (QoS) depends on the type of services, the construction of networks and the requirements of different customer groups. A brief historical overview is given on the developments and transitions happening in transporting electronic information over cable systems, with major changes in the areas of transmission protocols and analogue/digital conversion. An explanation is given on the new converged networks concept, highlighting some consequences, an important one being the fact that converging means compromising and possible sub-optimisation. The actors, the network, the services and the customers are each further analysed. The consequences of increased QoS requirements are investigated. The conclusions indicate that costs will increase compared to today's IP pricing level and that a lot more attention needs to be paid to QoS supporting technical and administrative facilities.