Peer-to-peer applications - used in file-sharing, for example - have become increasingly popular. This creates problems for operators because the traffic consumes large amounts of bandwidth and has a negative impact on other multimedia services. Providing music, video and gaming services over telecom networks requires a consistent high quality of service.

Tomas Hasselrot, product marketing manager at Ericsson and author of a new white paper on traffic inspection, says: "Expanding network capacity will not solve the problem. The new resources would also be used up by peer-to-peer applications."

The key to the solution is to identify traffic by means of packet inspection and heuristic analysis (similar to pattern recognition). "These features make it possible to identify virtually any type of traffic," Hasselrot says. "This means that operators can make efficient use of network resources, give priority to premium services and improve profitability."

In addition to improved network control and utilization, traffic inspection can create new business opportunities for operators. Apart from prioritizing their own premium services, operators can also form partnerships with media companies. The operators will gain from greater volumes of traffic and the media companies will reach a wider audience.

Hasselrot says: "You can even bring a third party into the equation. Owners of hotels, coffee shops and clubs, for example, could offer their customers digital content on the premises. Media companies would produce the content, with the operator using traffic inspection to ensure the delivery and handle the charging. It's a win-win-win situation."