Turns Out There's Plenty Of Investment In Increasing Backbone Capacity

from the well,-look-at-that... dept

Wed, Feb 7th 2007 6:49pm — Mike Masnick

Remember just last week when we were told that there wouldn't be investment in internet backbone because of fears that network neutrality would become legalized, and it wouldn't make economic sense? Apparently, someone forgot to tell the network operators. A new research report notes that investment in backbone upgrades is exploding, with just about every network operator already working on upgrades or planning to do so in the next year or so. It may be true that there are still business model questions that need to be worked out, but the idea that investments won't happen due to fears over network neutrality laws seems wrong. Again, if there's demand for bandwidth, there will be business models that make sense.

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Iron Chef, 7 Feb 2007 @ 7:06pm

Level3 Backbone Analysis
Of course there's enough bandwidth. Level3, for example, developed an innovative way to put in place new fiber as the need presents itself... L3 layed empty tubes and 'vacuum' a new strand of fiber when needed.

It's a threat to other players in the fiber business, because L3 has a patent on the methodology. They also have plans to double available bandwidth every two years.

Net Neutrality will enable existing (ATT/Verizon) in the fiber business to utilize their infrastructure in the way they want, at the expense of it's customerbase, and without having to utilize or think about licensing new technology.
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- Nate, 8 Feb 2007 @ 10:59am
  
  Re: Level3 Backbone Analysis
  It would be interesting seeing that patent and when it was submitted for. That technique has been used in Central Offices and Data Centers for at least the 20 years that I've been affiliated with them. Conduits between floors are not a new thing and that's all a fiber tube really is. I first used it myself for underground conduits between two adjacent buildings at the suggestion of the cable vendor about 15 years ago.
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Andrew, 7 Feb 2007 @ 8:04pm

Level 3
Hmmm, I had never heard about a vacuume fiber tube system... does anyone know where i can read some information on it?
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Iron Chef, 7 Feb 2007 @ 8:24pm

Level 3
They used to have a video somewhere on their site somewhere, showing a fiber being pulled through a conduit tube while a huge pump on the other end pulled the air out...

> The network was constructed with multiple conduits, Level 3 can deploy new generations of optical fiber and equipment far more quickly and economically than its competitors – a critical capability in an era of rapid technological change.

> In April 2000, the Smithsonian cited Level 3 as a Computerworld Laureate for its historic achievement in creating a new kind of network infrastructure.

http://www.level3.com/wholesale/reach/index.html
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|333173|3|_||3, 7 Feb 2007 @ 8:24pm

Proofreading
because of fears that network neutrality would become legalized,
Er, I think that should read
"because of fears that abandoningnetwork neutrality would become legalized,
Noramlly I do not quibble errors like that, but in this case it reverses the meaning of the phrase.
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- Mike (profile), 7 Feb 2007 @ 10:11pm
  
  Re: Proofreading
  Noramlly I do not quibble errors like that, but in this case it reverses the meaning of the phrase.
  
  No, it's correct. According to the report, the telcos were so worried that network neutrality would be mandated by law that they wouldn't invest in network buildout. They were worried that network neutrality would be written into law.
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a, 8 Feb 2007 @ 6:33am

Fears won't keep them from building out. Laws passed would.

Why do you think Ed came out and shouted the term "Freeloaders"

Of course, it does make a nice headline, not much substance, but whatever.
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Joe Smith, 8 Feb 2007 @ 11:14am

content
And what is the breakdown of the content that is using all that bandwidth? Probably something like:
pornography 10%
pirated music 10%
pirated videos 35%
badly done home videos 35%
VOIP 5%
all other traffic 5%

The internet owes its existence to pornography and copyright piracy.
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