Primus Support : DSL : DSL FAQ : Performance Management

Frequently Asked Questions

Primus High Speed Internet Performance Management System

1. Why does Primus need to use Performance Management?
2. What does Performance Management do?
3. Does Performance Management apply to all Primus High Speed Internet customers?
4. What does this mean for my Internet experience?
5. How is it different from techniques used by other service providers?
6. Do you give any advantage to your own applications, such as VoIP?

Why does Primus need to use Performance Management?

Like other Internet Service Providers, we deliver our High Speed Internet service over a network which is shared among the customers we have. Congestion will occasionally occur in sections on any network when many people are using the network at the same time, or they are engaging in activities that use a large amount of bandwidth. Primus Performance Management is designed to ensure that if congestion reaches a certain level in a section of the network, the absolute majority of customers in this section continue to have a good Internet experience.

What does Performance Management do?

Primus Performance Management assigns higher priority levels to time sensitive internet traffic:

When Internet traffic is light, all applications run at full speed. However, during peak hours, if congestion occurs, Primus Performance Management makes sure that time-critical applications like VoIP, gaming and messaging are always prioritized and are not swamped by very resource-intense (but not very time-sensitive) applications like file downloads.

Does Performance Management apply to all Primus High Speed Internet customers?

Primus offers High Speed Internet service in two different ways, based on your household location: on our Primus network and, where such network is not available, by using a wholesale arrangement on a network that passes though other major ISPs. Performance Management applies only to the Primus network. Wholesale network segments controlled by other ISPs are subject to the policies of the respective providers as approved by CRTC and may include bandwidth caps and/or limitations placed on specific Internet applications.

What does this mean for my Internet experience?

Primus Performance Management ensures a consistently high level of service for all time-sensitive and priority Internet activities, like VoIP, gaming, email, messaging, audio/video streaming and web browsing – during both peak and off-peak hours. During the highest demand hours, in a section of the network experiencing congestion, customers who are downloading files, performing software updates or running similar bandwidth-intense applications might see their download/upload speeds temporarily slowing down and going back up when demand decreases.

How is it different from techniques used by other service providers?

Many other ISPs, including incumbent telephone companies, are limiting particular applications to a certain bandwidth, no matter whether their network is congested or not. The Primus approach is different. We do not cap any applications. Under normal circumstances, everything runs at maximum speed. If a section of the network becomes congested, Performance Management makes sure that time-critical and most common activities receive priority over non time-sensitive traffic, thus maintaining a quality Internet experience for all users. In addition, Primus is constantly working on augmenting our network capacity to make any congestion less likely.

Do you give any advantage to your own applications, such as VoIP?

No. Primus TalkBroadband Home Phone is treated exactly the same as VoIP services from other companies. Network priority is assigned to the type of Internet traffic and Performance Management does not discriminate against any vendor, service provider or website.