Where in the Internet is congestion?

Abstract

Understanding the distribution of congestion in the Internet is a long-standing problem. Using data from the SamKnows US broadband access network measurement study, commissioned by the FCC, we explore patterns of congestion distribution in DSL and cable Internet service provider (ISP) networks. Using correlation-based analysis we estimate prevalence of congestion in the periphery versus the core of ISP networks. We show that there are significant differences in congestion levels and its distribution between DSL and cable ISP networks and identify bottleneck sections in each type of network.