"In the last few years, P2P communications has emerged as the innovative paradigm for the provision of new services. Will P2P architectures have a role in adequately serving a significant fraction of all multimedia application’s wealth? Will a new role for telecommunication operators be possible within the P2P framework? These questions imply the profitable provisioning of a P2P multicast delivery service to any application-service-operator that requests it; to bring multicast to the masses by exploiting the P2P paradigm is in fact a challenging and new business opportunity. It is the purpose of this project to provide technical guidelines that will implement P2P multicast transport services in an economical and profitable manner as well as scientific conclusions about the technical choices that warrant scalability and stability to P2P multicast applications. First, a business model for the P2P paradigm will be provided. A number of roles reflecting the major business separations of the telecommunications and information markets will be pointed out to identify the new actors involved in P2P systems providing multicast services. Second, a definition of proper pricing policies will be defined. The adoption of a successful pricing model for video and voice services in a paid peering modality is a key driver for the evolution of these services. Third, a design of a structured P2P protocol layer stack providing multicast data transfer to any application will be considered. Finally, models of multicast live streaming applications based on a P2P overlay network that provides for multicast connectivity will be developed in order to evaluate the effects on the quality perceived by the P2P system end-user of the interactions between real time and best effort traffic.The realization of the project will allow the researcher to be reintegrated within the host institution, skills acquired in US will be promoted, and connections between American institutions and the host maintained"