Shaw Communications has revealed details of its deployment of IP service control gear from Ellacoya Networks.

The companies said the system enables the operator to manage access and backbone network usage, a move designed to ensure quality for all high-speed data users. Shaw is using the Ellacoya e30 IP service switch in about 50 sites that service more than 1 million high-speed subscribers combined.

They did not specify how Ellacoya was being applied to Shaw, but the vendor's system is capable of prioritizing different types of traffic, whether it's for P2P apps, gaming or voice services.

Shaw came under fire earlier when DSL Reports users complained that Shaw was using Ellacoya's technology to throttle traffic for bandwidth-eating applications such as Bit Torrent. The interesting point was that the incident came to light only after it was disclosed by a Shaw employee, rather than by customers who were dissatisfied with the service.

The general idea of Ellacoya's approach is to balance the load among the different application types and how they impact other customers on the system. Shaw's use of Ellacoya's IP control platform will ensure that "the end-user experience...will be better," said Ben Legault, Ellacoya's vice president of marketing and product management.

"We view the Ellacoya platform as a means of continuously improving service quality and service offerings on our network," whether subscribers use e-mail, surf the Web, download large files, or play games online, according to Shaw President Peter Bissonnette, in a statement.