With the recent improvements of techniques for user terminals and networks, general users have been allowed to easily send data requiring transmission of contents (including video contents and audio contents). For example, even general users can send, through a network, video/audio contents with pictures or sound picked up by using a communication terminal having an imaging function and a sound pickup function. Further, since the mobilization of communication terminals is in progress, video/audio contents with pictures/sound picked up at various locations can be sent through radio communications by taking advantage of the mobility.
The video/audio contents particularly require high-throughput (broadband and high-priority) transmission from the viewpoint of the volume and real-time performance of the data. Therefore, upon traffic transmission of high-throughput data through a network, the network side is required to provide broadband and high-priority (low-delay, low-jitter, and the like) transmission for the traffic. In such traffic transmission of high-throughput data, the network side provides transmission of packets to be transmitted through specific traffic or packets sent from a specific terminal while guaranteeing higher QoS (Quality of Service) for the traffic transmission than that for normal traffic transmission.
For traffic transmission of high-throughput data, there are a method of payment on a case-by-case basis (pay-as-you-go type) for transmission of traffic for which the guarantee of high-level QoS is required and a method of making a pre-contract to guarantee high QoS for a specific terminal beforehand (advance reservation type). In either method, the network side charges higher communication cost for a specific traffic or a specific communication terminal (e.g., a communication terminal having a specific SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card) than that of normal traffic transmission to provide a service for broadband and high-priority traffic transmission of high-throughput data.
Patent Document 1 cited below discloses a technique in which when the bandwidths of a communication system are allocated to multiple applications, a bandwidth is allocated preferentially to an application with a high priority level while giving consideration to the total bandwidth of the communication system. Further, Patent Document 2 cited below discloses a technique for adding a program, a parameter, or the like to a packet so that a packet receiving device can process the packet based on the program or the parameter added to the packet.