Vint Cerf loves BitTorrent

Om Malik | Tuesday, April 12, 2005 | 11:07 AM PT | 6 comments

Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the Internet is a firm believer in open networks and believe that the potential of technologies like VoIP and BitTorrent is unimaginable. Cerf believes that BitTorrent can reduce the strain on todays networks and also prove to a good way for service providers to get a return on investment they have sunk into their networks. Unfortunately it won’t help them lock-up the consumer access business, he told The Australian. Still it could lead to a new era in “internet publishing.” I am assuming he is talking about video logging and podcasting. Cerf predicts that broadband applications will “spread to appliances, health research, motor transport, stock monitoring, medical facilities and just about everything else.” On topic of VoIP he pointed out that “any attempt to regulate voice-over-IP like telephones will prevent those being regulated from participating in the wide range of activities that come with voice. But, of course, voice-over-IP will gradually make telephone regulation irrelevant”

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1 trackback so far

April 12th, 2005
2:45 PM PT
Peer 1 Blog said:

BitTorrent is a great way to get ROI on networks and unexpected and unimaginable positive effects - Vint Cerf

Go Vint go! ISPs and webhosts that don’t plan for and encourage BitTorrent and VoIP are ignoring the future rushing …

5 comments so far

April 12th, 2005
12:19 PM PT

Isn’t it ‘Vint’ not ‘Vin’?

April 12th, 2005
12:25 PM PT
Aswath Rao said:

The newspaper article does not make it clear which aspects of VoIP regulation Cerf is talking about. There are regulations about interconnection, social fees, consumer protoection/rights. It will be good to know whether he is lumping all together or not.

April 12th, 2005
1:03 PM PT
Om Malik said:

not sure what regulations he is talking about either. must drop him an email about this

April 12th, 2005
3:08 PM PT
Jesse Kopelman said:

I think bittorrent or something based on it is the way to make an all internet version of NetFlix work.

April 12th, 2005
5:03 PM PT
David Janes said:

Well, we’re certainly making a bet on it. We’ve developed an infrastructure that we think can share tens of thousands of files using BitTorrent.

The fundemental issue is that sites are straining at the seams now trying to deliver simple text, such as RSS feeds. How can there be a “instapundit” of the video or podcasting world without something like BT underneath to share the load.

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