The Blog

As we publish the latest update to our Data Center Research Service, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to turn the global marketplace on its head.

Network and data center services have never been more critical to connect a world in relative isolation. That's why we supplemented our 2020 data center site survey by asking global data center operators for their assessment of the pandemic's impact on their operations as of September 2020. (We shared some preliminary findings earlier this year.)

Here's the latest report.

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Jon Hjembo

You know the drill. There are lots of good posts about cables, broadband, wireless networks, and data centers floating around out there. We grab a handful of the ones making the rounds in our Slack channels and share with you.

This month we're reading about broadband in the U.S., undersea data centers, AI, Altice, and lots more. Catch up on our reading queue below.

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Jayne Miller

Market patterns aren’t the only forces impacting carriers. Shifts in strategy, corporate structure, assets, and regulation can also have noteworthy consequences.

We’re seeing this across Latin America right now.

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Peter Wood

After four months of work, the GlobalComms Team is thrilled to unveil a new section of the GlobalComms Database Service. Users can now explore our hub for all things groups, ownership, and M&A in the world of retail mobile, fixed broadband, and fixed voice.

To mark the new addition, we’re looking at some of the world’s largest multi-country wireless operators and the extent of their reach, as well as major telcos that are still under state control.

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Pete Bell

As network requirements balloon, global IP transit prices continue to decline. Even in the face of a global pandemic.

But the pace of price erosion over the past three years and the factors driving it vary throughout the world. Declines have been greatest in emerging markets, where prices are highest. Increases in volume, local traffic exchange, and number of suppliers can improve economy of scale, underlying transport cost, and competition, respectively. In established global hubs, prices continue to fall at a significant pace, largely a result of escalating volume and declining unit cost.

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Kate Reilly

Hypothetical scenario: You've thoroughly audited your wide area network and it's a well-oiled machine.

You understand how your current configuration matches against your budget. You've developed new performance goals. You have a few expansion plans in mind for the future, but for now, you're happy with how things are running. The systems you have in place meet your company's needs. 

What's next?

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Jayne Miller

Will COVID-19 leave a lasting mark on the global internet?

Based on discussions and surveys with dozens of network operators around the globe, we believe that COVID-related expansion in internet traffic and bandwidth is largely a one-off phenomenon. It seems likely that the trends we've observed in recent years will largely continue.

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Anahí Rebatta

The global outbreak of COVID-19 and its associated economic and social impact has laid bare the crucial, irreplaceable role that the internet plays in our daily lives.

Starting in March 2020, internet traffic patterns shifted and volumes surged as students around the world learned from home, adults worked from home, and everybody did at least something from home.

To its enormous credit, the internet bent but—for the most part—did not break as network operators scrambled to deal with the swell in traffic.

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Paul Brodsky