ISPs and mobile operators sign up to traffic management code of practice

BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media are among companies that agree to be transparent about traffic management techniques

BSkyB, BT, O2, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have all signed up to a new code of practice which will see them provide comparable information about how they manage their traffic.

This is the first time information about traffic management techniques will be provided in a common format.

The announcement comes as regulators and policy makers in the EU are in agreement that more information should be provided about how and why traffic management practices are employed.

"There has been more heat than light in the debate about traffic management over recent years," said Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, which facilitated this voluntary industry code of practice.

"This commitment to provide clear and comparable information in a common format is very important," he added.

"It will not only help to ensure consumers are better informed about the services they buy and use, but will also provide a clearer picture for policy makers of the way in which traffic management is actually used in the UK market."

However, traffic management is a sensitive topic as some claim it negates the principle of net neutrality – the idea that all traffic should be treated equally.

Some operators, such as BT, have begun to offer paid-for managed services that prioritise the delivery of certain types of traffic such as video.

Advocates of net neutrality are concerned that the industry is heading towards a two-tiered internet as a result.

The code will be piloted in 2011 and reviewed again in early 2012 to fine-tune the approach.