In one embodiment, a method is illustrated as including receiving a data packet at a network device, and upshifting a Quality of Service (QoS) reservation, wherein the upshifting is based upon an observed increase type selected from the group consisting of an observed increase in network traffic, data packet size, and data packet frequency. In a further embodiment, a network device is illustrated as possessing a receiver to receive data packets, and an upshifter to upshift a Quality of Service (QoS) reservation, wherein the upshifter observes an increase type selected from the group consisting of an observed increase in network traffic, data packet size, and data packet frequency.