Bandwidth sharing

A computer program product, comprising one or more computer readable hardware storage devices containing computer readable program code that when executed by one or more processors of a computer system implements a method for bandwidth sharing to enable communication between users over the Internet, said method comprising:

• receiving, by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) from a first user after the first user received a second key from a second user:
• the second key and a directive to transfer from the first user to the second user for a finite time duration N:
• W upload bandwidth and Z download bandwidth,
• wherein W is unequal to Z,
• wherein the ISP previously provided a first key to the first user in conjunction with a first plan in which the first user purchased from the ISP an upload bandwidth of U for transmitting data via the Internet and a download bandwidth of D1 for receiving data via the Internet,
• wherein the first key is configured to be parsed to identify the first user, wherein the ISP previously provided the second key to the second user in conjunction with a second plan in which the second user purchased from the ISP an upload bandwidth of U2 for transmitting data via the Internet and a download bandwidth of D2 for receiving data via the Internet,
• wherein the second key is configured to be parsed to identify the second user, and
• wherein U1, D1, U2 and D2 differ from one another;
• responsive to said receiving the second key from the first user, changing, by the ISP for the time duration N:
• the second user's upload bandwidth to U2+W, the second user's download bandwidth to D2+Z, the first user's upload bandwidth to U1−W, and the first user's download bandwidth to D1−Z, wherein W is an additional upload bandwidth, and wherein communication between the second user and the first user requires a permitted upload bandwidth greater than U2 and less than U2+W;
• and
• responsive to receiving, by the ISP from the second user within the time duration N, a directive to establish a communication between the second user and the first user to transfer specified data, transferring, by the ISP during the time duration N in accordance with the permitted upload bandwidth, the specified data from the second user to the first user.

A computer system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• one or more memories;
• and one or more computer readable hardware storage devices containing computer readable program code that when executed by the one or more processors via the one or more memories implements a method for bandwidth sharing to enable communication between users over the Internet, said method comprising:
• receiving, by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) from a first user after the first user received a second key from a second user:
• the second key and a directive to transfer from the first user to the second user for a finite time duration N:
• W upload bandwidth and Z download bandwidth,
• wherein W is unequal to Z,
• wherein the ISP previously provided a first key to the first user in conjunction with a first plan in which the first user purchased from the ISP an upload bandwidth of U1 for transmitting data via the Internet and a download bandwidth of D1 for receiving data via the Internet,
• wherein the first key is configured to be parsed to identify the first user, wherein the ISP previously provided the second key to the second user in conjunction with a second plan in which the second user purchased from the ISP an upload bandwidth of U2 for transmitting data via the Internet and a download bandwidth of D2 for receiving data via the Internet,
• wherein the second key is configured to be parsed to identify the second user, and
• wherein U1, D1, U2 and D2 differ from one another;
• responsive to said receiving the second key from the first user, changing, by the ISP for the time duration N:
• the second user's upload bandwidth to U2+W, the second user's download bandwidth to D2+Z, the first user's upload bandwidth to U1−W, and the first user's download bandwidth to D1−Z, wherein W is an additional upload bandwidth, and wherein communication between the second user and the first user requires a permitted upload bandwidth greater than U2 and less than U2+W;
• and
• responsive to receiving, by the ISP from the second user within the time duration N, a directive to establish a communication between the second user and the first user to transfer specified data, transferring, by the ISP during the time duration N in accordance with the permitted upload bandwidth, the specified data from the second user to the first user.