What is contention?
When two or more users share a circuit, there is a chance that they will both want to transfer data at the same time. Modern packet networks share bandwidth equally, meaning that all users get an equal share of the capacity. This is called contention. Broadband services have often been characterised by a contention ratio, which is the maximum number of users sharing the same circuit. The higher this ratio, the more unpredictable the connection performance. Residential service providers usually offer contention ratios of around 50:1. Business service providers offer contention ratios from 20:1 down to 1:1 (uncontended).
Contention is a system we use to limit the number of free streaming users we have at any one time. When you initially log onto a streaming service you enter a queue. As the next person logs onto the service you move along the queue. When you get to the end of the queue you are automatically logged off.
