Networks
Dec 12, 2024

More Cables, More Redundancy, and Better Performance in Africa and the Middle East

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking at Cairo ICT about colocation and connectivity trends.

I covered global bandwidth first, followed by a rundown on bandwidth in the Middle East and Africa.

Next up, data centers and interconnection hubs, with a discussion on where the hubs are, what makes a hub, and how hubs grow. Finally, I talked about end-user demand, which is very important with the growth of internet and demand.

You can catch a video of this presentation and download my slides below.
Dec 4, 2024

Secret Cable Trivia Answers, Declassified

Ever wondered how much you really know about the world’s vast network of submarine cables?

Each month, cable enthusiasts put their knowledge to the test with the secret trivia game hosted on our interactive submarine cable map.

Today, we’re pulling back the curtain and revealing the latest winning answers! Whether you're a seasoned player or just curious about the fascinating web of global connectivity, this is your chance to see how well you stack up.

Ready to uncover the secrets? Let’s dive in!
Nov 21, 2024

What To Know About Submarine Cable Breaks

Earlier this week, operators of two communications cables—C-Lion 1 and BCS East-West Interlink—reported faults in the Baltic Sea.

Local internet service seems largely unaffected, but a swirl of sabotage allegations have emerged in the global press.

Without making a ruling on any ongoing investigations, let’s look at the facts.
Nov 13, 2024

Data Centers: That’s a Lot of Power!

The data center market is in the midst of an unprecedented shift that started—publicly at least—five years ago with the announced moratoria on new development in Singapore and Frankfurt. Those regulatory interventions highlighted the challenges the industry faces in securing sufficient power.

Since then, it turned out that data centers would need much more power than had been realized—just at a time when regulators and community organizations were growing increasingly critical of the sector's existing demand.

Our Data Center Research Service estimates that, as of 2024, colocation operators in the top ten data center markets by MW consume about 13 gigawatts (GW) of power.

That's enough power to generate electricity for roughly 10 million homes—or, in this case, only about 1,000 commercial data centers!
Nov 12, 2024

Reach for the Stars: How Starlink Conquered Latin America

Starlink, the satellite broadband provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit, is making rapid inroads in Latin America.

As of November 2024, Starlink’s services are live in 28 countries/overseas territories in Latin America, with more launches planned for 2025.
Nov 1, 2024

The Fastest-Growing City for Data Center Connectivity

Many of the world’s top data center markets face issues such as rising energy costs, connectivity, and in some cases, moratoriums on new data center buildouts.

To help decision-makers navigate these challenges and prepare for the future, we’ve launched the Market Connectivity Score (MCS), a dynamic tool that measures current and potential connectivity and data center market size for 3,000 cities worldwide. 

As of Q4 2024, the MCS ranks Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as the fastest-growing city for near-future connectivity infrastructure growth. 
Oct 30, 2024

The 2024 Internet Provider Connectivity Rankings Are In

Our IP Networks Research Service—which recently underwent its big annual update—includes an analysis that explores how, what, and where internet backbone providers connect.

Keep reading for a sample of our 2024 provider rankings findings, where we compare different metrics to examine which internet providers have the richest set of connections to other companies.
Oct 22, 2024

Research & Education Networks, Topologies, and Trends

TeleGeography research groups bandwidth users into four categories: internet backbone providers, content providers, research and education (R&E), and enterprises and others.

Although R&E is often overshadowed—in favor of content providers especially—it is foundational to the other sectors.
Oct 17, 2024

Chinese vs. U.S. Network Infrastructure in Asia, From Cloud to Cables

Competition between the United States and China continues to be a hot topic.

Take The Economist, which recently published America v China: who controls Asia’s internet?

While this piece did a great job highlighting the impact of geopolitical tensions on telecom infrastructure throughout Asia, my colleague Alan Mauldin and I want to expand on this coverage by offering updated data on two important areas of the story: cloud and cables.
Oct 16, 2024

Mapping African Network Geography at AfPIF 2024 [Presentation Download]

Another year, another African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) keynote presentation for Senior Research Manager Patrick Christian.

His 2024 African Network Geography Update explored global network trends, as well as African bandwidth trends, interconnection hub trends, and end-user demand. There was a special focus on Kinshasa, where this year’s AfPIF conference was held.

What are the best-connected hubs in Africa? Where are new and planned submarine cables landing? Is intra-African bandwidth gaining traction?

 

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