Picture still mixed for operators as media embraces legal P2P

摘要

Telecoms operators continue to have an ambivalent relationship with peer-to-peer (P2P) distribution, despite recent moves by several media firms to legitimise the controversial file-sharing technology. Chief among the concerns of BT, Tiscali and others are the costly amount of bandwidth P2P consumes, control over quality of service and difficulties in reaching licensing agreements with content owners. Media firms including the BBC, BSkyB, Warner and EMI seem unperturbed by these problems, probably because their use of P2P allows them to shift the burden largely onto operators (see "Legal P2P" box).