Like other fixed-line broadband providers, O2 broadband has now begun limiting the amount of bandwidth available to Peer 2 Peer services like BitTorrent, Gnutella, and KaZaa.

O2 are also restricting popular newsgroup services like Giganews and NetNews.The new traffic restrictions will affect O2 IPStream broadband (not LLU) subscribers between the hours of 8pm and 11pm.

“From now on, we’ll give first priority to the things most of us want to do in the evening – things like emailing, looking at websites, watching video on sites such as BBC iPlayer or YouTube or using programs like Skype or Messenger” – O2 statement.

Here’s a full list of the affected Peer 2 Peer and Newsgroup services:

File-sharing:

• BitTorrent
• Blubster
• Gnutella
• KaZaA
• WinMX_6688
• WinMX_6699
• eDonkey
• Filetopia
• eDonkey_UDP
• Hotline
• Hotline_1234
• DirectConnect
• GuruGuru
• Soribada
• Soulseek
• Ares
• Rodi
• JoltID
• eMule_UDP
• Waste
• Konspire2b
• ExoSee
• FurthurNet
• MUTE
• GNUnet
• Nodezilla

Newsgroups:

• NNTP
• NNTPS
• TAC_News
• Audio_News
• NTalk
• NetNews
• NAS
• DDI
• Giganews

[via broadband.o2.co.uk]

Related posts:

• O2 Broadband P2P Restrictions Will Not Reduce Connection Speeds