The momentum in the battle for bandwidth has turned back to file sharers with the last week’s release of Azureus 2.4. Using encryption technology that makes file-sharing traffic appear to be random bits of data,  users of the popular BitTorent client can bypass the restrictions that Eastlink has put on their ability to share files via the BitTorent protocol.

One approach that Eastlink currently uses to stem the tide of file sharing traffic has been to limit access to the BitTorent protocol.  Thus, Eastlink customers can only use a limited amount of their paid-for bandwidth for BitTorent related file sharing activity. The technology used to implement this restriction is alternatively known as traffic shaping or bandwidth throttling .

The effects can be quite dramatic. Upload speeds on the  Eastlink network, for example,  plunged by around 70 percent once traffic shaping was implemented. Users who previously could upload at speeds of 80 kB/s or more, were now limited to about 22 kB/s. While still usable, BitTorent file-sharing became a much more sluggish affair virtually overnight.

Given that this technology is being used by more and more ISPs world wide, it was only a matter of time before the measures  designed to counter traffic shaping started to emerge. As of last week, Azureus has managed to bypass traffic shaping restrictions by making peer-to peer traffic appear to be nothing more than random bits of data, thereby negating an ISP’s ability to identify and then throttle file-sharing traffic.  In an interview with Slyck.com, a spokesperson for the company states that the technology was implemented “not to be enemies with the ISPs, but rather to be able to use a technology without unnecessary restrictions”.

Still, with uTorrent, another popular BitTorent client, following suit with its new 1.4.1 Beta release, Eastlink and other Canadian ISPs,such as Shaw Cable and Rogers -both of which use similar traffic shaping technology- will soon see their bandwidth come under renewed pressure from customers who want to reclaim the full potential of their high speed connections.

Thus, early trials have shown that using Azureus' latest version, upload speeds of up to 80 kB/s and more can once again be achieved on Eastlink once the encryption protocol has been activated. Download speeds also appeared to improve significantly, although it is too early to precisely quantify the increase.

At the time of writing no spokesperson for Eastlink could be reached for comment. It, therefore, remains to be seen what strategy, if any, the company will employ to counter this new development and to salvage their investment in traffic shaping technology.