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October 21, 2009
Q. What is the Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI) Usage study?
A. Cisco VNI Usage research provides quantitative insights into current activity on service provider networks and qualitative samples of consumers' online behavior. In this cooperative program, more than 20 of our global service provider customers share anonymous, aggregate data with us to analyze current network usage trends and gauge future infrastructure requirements. Participating tier 1 and tier 2 service providers serve millions of subscribers worldwide. They represent the mobile, wireline, and cable segments throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and various emerging markets. This effort is designed to provide an actual network perspective that complements the other elements of our Cisco VNI program-Cisco VNI Forecast (a methodology for future IP network and Internet growth) and Cisco VNI Pulse (a sampling of consumer network usage patterns and trends gathered from surveys and free applications).
Q. How does Cisco VNI Usage data compare with Cisco VNI Forecast projections?
A. Cisco VNI Usage data is acquired through a direct measurement methodology, while the Cisco VNI Forecast is an estimate derived from a model of individual behavior. The Cisco VNI Forecast approach enables a more comprehensive categorization of content, while the Cisco VNI Usage results offer more precise (actual) growth rates and provide "real world" insight into global traffic patterns based on service provider networks. In general, Cisco found that VNI usage data aligns closely with the company's previously published forecast data for the same period (Q3 CY09) and suggests IP network and Internet growth trajectories that are consistent with the company's longer-term estimates (through 2013).
Q. Is Cisco VNI research related to the Broadband Quality Study (BQS)?
A. The Broadband Quality Study is separate and distinct from the Cisco VNI project. The latest BQS study, released in October 2009, delivers new insight into who the global broadband leaders are by combining data for each country's broadband penetration with a measure of the quality of broadband services actually experienced by its citizens. The study was conducted by a team of MBA students from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and the University of Oviedo's Department of Applied Economics, and sponsored by Cisco.
Q. How is Cisco VNI Usage data collected?
A. Cisco collects anonymous, aggregate network usage data from service providers that have chosen to participate in the Cisco Visual Networking Index program. Participants in the program receive benchmarking reports comparing their traffic composition and growth to that of the other participants.
The network usage data is collected from Cisco Service Control Engines (SCEs) that are strategically installed in the network of each participant. The Cisco SCEs operate in anonymous subscriber mode, and do not include any IP or MAC addresses, or any other personally identifiable information. The Cisco SCEs used for this program do not include policy control modules, and therefore the equipment is not able to apply different policies to different types of traffic. The equipment is configured exclusively for passive reception.
Under the terms of the Cisco VNI Usage partner program, Cisco may not share the identities of any service provider participants or publish network data from any single participant. The data will always be represented in anonymous, aggregate form.
Q. What is Cisco's policy regarding subscriber privacy?
A. The network usage data collected as part of the Cisco VNI program is both anonymous and aggregate. Anonymous data is distinct from "anonymized" data, which is raw data in which individual IP addresses have been replaced with random identifiers. Anonymous data, on the other hand, contains no raw usage records, only aggregate statistics describing those records.
Table 1 lists examples of the types of information included in and excluded from the data collection effort.
Table 1. Types of Information Included and Excluded in the Cisco VNI Usage Data Collection Effort
Q. What period of time does the current Cisco VNI Usage data cover?
A. Cisco has been collecting aggregate network usage data from some participating service providers for more than a year. The results of the current research include data from all of the program participants (more than 20 service providers) during the third quarter of calendar year 2009 (July, August, and September).
Q. What types or sources of IP/Internet traffic are not included in Cisco VNI Usage data?
A. Business and university traffic is not included in Cisco VNI Usage data. This data could not be reliably captured from service provider network participants. The Cisco VNI Usage study captures broadband network data only. Some businesses and universities may have higher-speed or alternative networks (for example, optical) that are not represented in our data at this time.
For More Information
Inquiries can be directed to traffic-inquiries@cisco.com.