Guaranteed and non-guaranteed channel: what to choose?

The Internet channel used is important for any web project. The normal functioning of any modern web service is impossible without good bandwidth. Inattention to issues of speed and quality of Internet connection can lead to serious consequences: the outflow of users, undermining the reputation, lack of profit ...

As you know, there are two main types of channels: guaranteed (English guaranteed bandwidth) and non-guaranteed (in professional jargon, it is also called gated - from English shared bandwidth). Consider each of these types in more detail.

Non-guaranteed channel

A channel is called non-guaranteed, in which there is no constant connection speed, and all resources are constantly dynamically redistributed between users.

How is a non-guaranteed channel connection organized? Your ISP has a channel with limited bandwidth. This channel is connected to a certain uplink. Channel resources are distributed among users. Moreover, there are always more users than the bandwidth allows. This practice is called oversubscription. It is quite real that a channel with a bandwidth of, for example, 200 Mb / s (this figure is nothing more than a conditional) can be used by several hundred, or even more than a thousand customers. Why is this possible?

All of these clients never use the channel at the same time, so it is never loaded at full capacity. There is always a free reserve, which is constantly redistributed between active users. The undoubted advantage of this practice is the ability to provide users with an Internet connection at a low price.

But at the same time, a constant connection speed is by no means guaranteed, since the channel resources are constantly redistributed between users. At peak load times, speed may drop to critical limits.

Payment for using an unguaranteed channel is usually charged based on actually consumed traffic. This is what attracts many users who are guided by the following logic: why pay extra money for the guaranteed band if I still have a small amount of traffic? In theory, all this looks quite convincing, but in practice the situation is completely different. Users who choose a non-guaranteed channel will inevitably encounter a number of disadvantages.

Firstly, the connection speed through an unwarranted channel almost always turns out to be lower than that declared by the service provider. Of course, certain numbers are indicated in the agreements, but they are only the maximum possible: due to the fact that the channel’s resources are constantly redistributed between the numerous “neighbors”, in most cases it is impossible to achieve them in real practice (in all legal documents this point is often described when help streamlined wording that not every user will understand the first time). Some companies almost openly warn that servers connected to the Internet via a non-guaranteed channel are not recommended for storage and distribution of “heavy” content.

Secondly, there is always a risk of channel degradation: The connection speed is constantly changing, and if it is overloaded, it can drop to a critical minimum, which will make it impossible to transfer even small amounts of data over the channel.

Thirdly, you have to pay for the use of a non-guaranteed channel at very inconvenient and unprofitable tariffs. More precisely, at first glance, these tariffs seem low and profitable, but in reality everything is completely different.

The principle of payment for actual consumption suggests that any excess traffic must be paid extra. An unexpected surge in network activity can result in serious costs.

Some budget hosters use a tricky move, claiming that they do not charge customers for the use of an unsecured channel if they do not exceed the established volumes of consumed traffic. But free cheese, as you know, happens only in a mousetrap.

If the traffic consumption is exceeded, the connection speed is automatically reduced. This practice is found in many hosting providers: as soon as the volume of outgoing traffic exceeds the established boundaries, the speed decreases, for example, from the declared 200 Mbps to 10 Mbps. To remove the restriction, the client will have to pay an additional amount. The described restrictions are even more or less tolerant: some companies set limits not only on outgoing traffic, but also on incoming traffic. So all the best prices are beneficial only on paper. Strict cost planning in the case of a non-guaranteed channel is difficult.

Guaranteed Channel

Guaranteed is a channel with a guaranteed (i.e. constant) data rate. How is this guaranteed speed ensured?

Imagine two points connected by a physical communication channel. On its basis, using special equipment, an electrical communication channel is obtained that has a certain throughput. The result is an information channel with some boundary speed. When one physical channel is used by several users, the common information channel is divided into several subchannels. Within each of these subchannels, a certain speed is guaranteed to be maintained. In some cases, the boundary speed inside the subchannel can even be increased if the resources of other subchannels are free.

A guaranteed channel is usually symmetrical. This means that the speed of incoming and outgoing traffic When transferring large amounts of data in both directions, the speed never decreases.

A guaranteed channel has the following undoubted advantages:

1. Stability. The speed of your Internet connection always, even at peak times, remains constant.
2. Guaranteed quality.When establishing an Internet connection, the user and the service provider enter into a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which indicates the required connection speed, which must always be ensured. The SLA also clearly defines the timelines for restoring Internet access in the event of a malfunction.
3. Fixed payment.The fee for using the guaranteed channel is charged at a fixed rate. In such a situation, it becomes much easier to plan the costs of the development of the project. It seems to some insufficiently experienced users that they are overpaying without loading the guaranteed channel "to the full." One can hardly agree with this opinion: as traffic increases and loads increase, it will become clear that a fixed tariff is much more profitable than paying for actual consumption, which in many cases can turn into unpleasant surprises (see above).

What to choose?

Based on the above arguments and facts, we can make an unambiguous conclusion: the non-guaranteed channel is completely unsuitable for a modern developing web project. The pricing policy of many Internet service providers that offer connection via an unwarranted channel seems unfair: the declared speeds are almost never achieved in reality, and information about overpayments and traffic restrictions is often not brought to the client in plain text.

Finally, in our time, when the share of “heavy” multimedia content makes up most of the global Internet traffic, the choice of a non-guaranteed channel seems to be a rash and short-sighted step.

The distinctive features of the guaranteed channel are stability, as well as an honest and transparent pricing policy: you will always have a connection at a guaranteed speed for a fixed amount. The cost of connecting through a guaranteed channel pays for itself as the project develops and expands.

Readers who cannot post comments here are welcome to join us on our blog .