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Verizon Testing P4P for Peer to Peer Delivery

Verizon (VZ) has been test-driving peer-to-peer file transfer using the new P4P protocol.

Verizon (VZ) has been test-driving peer-to-peer file transfer using the new P4P protocol, which is being jointly developed by a group that includes P2P services BitTorrent and LimeWire, content delivery specialists Pando Networks and Verisign/Kontiki, telcos Verizon and AT&T, and network gear vendor Cisco Systems.

Ars Technica reports that the tests by Verizon and Pando show the new protocol "provides a significant boost in download performance while simultaneously reducing network congestion." An excerpt from the story:

The implication is quite clear: network operators can more effectively cut costs by enabling better P2P rather than trying to impede it. The question that remains is whether this solution will be extended to all P2P traffic, or just services favored by ISPs and Big Content. Verizon condemns illegal filesharing and says that the new protocol is intended for adoption by legal commercial services, but also reiterates that