Smarter Internet Service for a New Internet Age
An Introduction to Fairshare
The way we use the internet has changed dramatically in the 10 years since Webformix began delivering wireless service across Central Oregon. Back in 2004, users typically accessed the web through one PC at a time, browsing web pages and transferring files of a fixed size, and as a result, our top priority at Webformix was improving the user experience by making sure they could download as many megabits per second as possible.
Flash forward to the present, and the vast majority of Webformix users consume a wide array of services online, connecting through multiple computers, televisions, tablets, smart phones and appliances – all competing for bandwidth on the same network. Streaming video is replacing television, internet telephone is replacing landline service, and multiplayer gaming now dominates our living rooms. Today’s internet users no longer think of the internet in terms of megabits, but rather in terms of the killer apps that make the modern internet such a vital part of our lives: Netflix, X-Box Live, Craigslist, Skype, Facebook and others.
Success for Webformix as an internet provider no longer means pushing fixed-sized files down the digital pipes, but rather orchestrating network traffic to make sure that the services you love are working flawlessly when you want them. That means understanding that each type of service has different requirements. For example, YouTube requires bandwidth but not low latency. Gaming does require low latency but not bandwidth. Real-time audio and gaming use very little bandwidth, but cannot function properly when battling for bandwidth with other applications like streaming video.
Thankfully, Webformix invested in new technology to help us prioritize network traffic and deliver an even better user experience across thousands of square miles of the high desert.
Read on to learn how our new FairShare Network Management system will help us evolve to meet the needs of our users.
Prioritizing Web Traffic for the Best User Experience
Webformix is the smallest internet service provider in the country to utilize the latest Sandvine network traffic management technology – powerful hardware that will help us improve internet performance for our users.
On a network without prioritization, apps like Windows Update, Netflix, web browsers, Skype and gaming updates all fight each other for resources on a first come first serve basis. If no effort is made to prioritize, traffic on the network essentially fights to get through first, whether it needs it or not, making it difficult for internet services and apps to coordinate with each other. Whether it’s searching on Craigslist, watching a movie, playing games, downloading files or any other activity, it quickly becomes apparent when the service isn’t working properly.
With our new Sandvine technology, our network is able to give priority to the app that needs it most at any given moment in time – a level of traffic control that will help us deliver the services you want, when you want them.
Our Solution: Fairshare Network Management Plans
To make sure that our customers have internet service plans based on their actual needs, we are leaving behind our old “megabit” based services in favor of our new Fairshare Network Management plans.
Our new service levels provide each customer with a dedicated bandwidth channel based on the internet apps and services they use most – with pricing plans based on the size of that dedicated channel.
Here are our new service offerings:
A Simpler, Smarter Internet
To meet the needs of the evolving internet user, Webformix is now offering smarter, simpler price plans that ditch the old “megabits” pricing method in favor of pricing plans based on the services you actually use. Reliable bandwidth is the most precious resource we can deliver to our users, and our new FairShare Network Management policies will ensure the services you love work when you want them. As always, Webformix offers you all this with no contracts, no misleading introductory pricing, and no data usage caps of any kind.
Give us a call today to learn more about our new FairShare policies and pricing plans.