Metered IP billing is indeed possible

[Bruce Hahne]

So, umm, who here recently claimed that packet metering and billing in an
ISP/IP setting is technically impossible?  In my mailbox this evening I see:

> Cisco, Solect Offer Usage-Based Billing Solution
> 
> Cisco Systems, Inc., a global leader in Internet
> networking, and Solect Technology Group, a leading provider
> of infrastructure software solutions for service providers,
> have announced current availability of IAF/NetFlow, an 
> advanced usage-based billing system integrating Cisco's 
> NetFlow software into Solect's Internet Administration 
> Framework (IAF) product used by high-speed, broadband 
> network and service providers for commercial and business 
> users.

Solect sells telco billing systems.  There are other products about to hit
the market which do IP metering, and they're going to use telco billing
systems as a back end as well.  The metered billing steamroller is coming,
people.  Settlements won't be too far behind.  Watch out, because the telcos
have over 100 years of experience playing this game.  (What was that NANOG
13 T-shirt slogan again, hm?)

Bruce Hahne
hahne@netcom.com