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Tag Archives: Wireline Backhaul
A New Battleground in the Net-Neutrality Debate: Device Neutrality
April’s proving to be an interesting month for those following the net-neutrality debate. Within the first week we’ve already seen the US Court of Appeals swing into action and dismiss Verizon and MetroPCS’ anti-net neutrality lawsuits filed against the FCC. Thrown out on a legal technicality, many expect these lawsuits to be re-filed shortly. However, while most eyes where following the legal wranglings on Capitol Hill, a new battleground in the neutrality debate has emerged and this time it’s focused on devices.
Since its launch, the iPad has been a disruptive tool. One need only look at publishing to see how the iPad has led an entire industry to question how it operates and, more importantly, how the public wants to consume books and magazines. The same can be said for other media too. In fact, it’s the very issue of consuming film and TV on the iPad that has raised a heated discussion on the topic of device neutrality and the rights consumers have to access video content on mobile devices.
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Cord Cutting Corporate Backbones Device Neutrality Ethernet Access FCC Grid/Cloud Computing iPad iPhone Jeff Lawrence Long Haul Transport Metro Core Transport MetroPCS Mobile Backhaul Mobile Devices Net Neutrality Packet Optical Transport Playon Time Warner Cable TV Verizon Video Wireline Backhaul
The Challenge of Big Data
One of the many things that excite me about working in the tech sector is collaboration. Working collectively on new ideas and new technologies with people spread across the globe continues to inspire me on a daily basis. While on vacation a few weeks ago, I was able to watch such collaboration in action at a conference held by Om Malik on the topic of big data.
With a global delegate list and many people remotely interacting through social media channels, the Structure Big Data conference explored all aspects of managing today’s enormous data demands. However, there was one particular discussion that caught my attention. Focused on the challenges of moving big data around the world, this particular dialogue dived deep into the hurdles both business and domestic users face when trying to access data when they need it, where they need it.
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Bandwidth Demand Big Data Cloud computing Collaboration Conference Core Network Corporate Backbones Data Access Encryption Facetime Fixed Infrastructure Grid/Cloud Computing Long Haul Transport Low-latency Low-Latency Transport Metro Core Transport Mission Critical Mobile Backhaul Mobile Infrastructure Om Malik Online Communication Packet Optical Transport San Connectivity Skype Structure Big Data Venture Capitalists Wireline Backhaul
Is the Buzz Back in Infrastructure?
After a few days out of the office, I found myself yesterday thrown into a hectic schedule of analyst briefings and development calls. At the end of the day, one fact was undeniable – there’s a definite buzz in the optical networking space. As I mentioned in an earlier post, our global networks are at the first stage of what Infonetics Research is calling an optical reboot: The rebuilding of the networks’ core on a foundation of 40/100G, OTN and ROADM technologies.
The success of this rebuild is critical for every member of the networking ecosystem, from businesses aiming to leverage the latest cloud computing applications to reduce IT costs and complexities, to domestic users seeking to consume rich-media applications across a range of devices, and even service providers intent on providing a high-quality of service while at the same time growing profitably. The optical reboot is the first step to ensuring our networks evolve into a flexible infrastructure that can scale to meet tomorrow’s bandwidth demands.
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40/100G Ben Horowitz Cloud computing Corporate Backbones Dig Facebook Foursquare Grid/Cloud Computing Groupon Hardware Internet Bubble Long Haul Transport Metro Core Transport Mobile Backhaul New York Times Optical Optical Networking Optical Reboot OTN Packet Optical Transport ROADM San Connectivity Social Media Software Twitter Venture Capitalists Wireline Backhaul
Could Data Caps Tame the WiFi Explosion?
After the initial frenzy of the iPad 2 launch, interesting figures on just how popular Apple’s new tablet is are starting to emerge. According to some sources, the iPad 2 sold over one million during its first weekend of release. I find this figure incredible. One million units in two days. Apparently sales continue to be brisk and one can only imagine what figures will be seen when the device reaches global availability.
Aside from sending Apple’s profits higher, I also wonder what impact these sales will have on the network. In only two days, we suddenly have one million more users consuming and distributing rich media (I appreciate that a number of these users will be upgrading from the original iPad). FaceTime, Skype, Netflix, Hulu. The wealth of media available on the iPad is staggering. Now, if these users are anything like me, they will spend most of their time accessing this media over their WiFi connection, especially considering current 3G data caps.
Mapping the State of US Broadband
In a recent conversation with Adrian Wooster, I was asked if we’re over analyzing the state of broadband connectivity. Are we spending too much time discussing the problem and not enough in solving it? I was thinking about this question again today as I researched some figures on the recently launched national broadband map. An ambitious tool that’s provoked heated discussion as to its effectiveness and how it can be used to move the state of the country’s broadband forward.
Costing around $200 million and ultimately taking over five years to develop, the map represents the first step in providing detailed analysis on the state of the nation’s broadband infrastructure, especially in highlighting underserved communities in rural areas. The sheer breadth of data captured in this map is impressive, especially when compared to what is available in other countries (see earlier post: Mapping the digital divide). Yet as analysts such as Craig Settles have noted, this map is far from complete and represents only a first attempt. There is still a great deal of information regarding the competitive landscape that needs to be documented for this map to truly help consumers and drive policy forward.
