Networks
Mar 14, 2024

Explaining the Internet Through the Lifecycle of a YouTube Video

Last week, we wrapped up a five-part podcast special that literally explains how the internet works.

This series describes precisely how data moves around the world, covering the basics of internet, transport networks, data centers, the cloud, and WAN along the way.

At the end of each episode, I thought it would be fun to relate what we talked about to a real world example: the lifecycle of a YouTube video.

To paint the full picture, I've compiled each piece of the story here. Keep reading to find out how a video goes from one camera to millions of screens around the world.
Mar 12, 2024

The Data Center Market Blazes a New Trail

When it comes to the nature of exploration, there are typically a number of underlying forces at play, some positive and some negative.

The “pioneering spirit” could be inspired by the excitement of new opportunities, or by the pressure of existing difficulties.

The data center market happens to be dealing with both of those sentiments right now, with several factors driving it to new places.
Mar 5, 2024

What We Know (And Don't) About Multiple Cable Faults in the Red Sea

We recently wrote about how Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are causing headaches for the undersea cable industry.

Since then, the industry has suffered three cable faults in the region.
Feb 23, 2024

Flashback Friday: Submarine Cable Repair in the 1980s

If you've read over our Submarine Cable Frequently Asked Questions, you know that cable faults are common. On average, there are over 100 each year.

Of course, as a society heavily dependent on these cables, we've gotten quite good at repairing them. But what was the repair process like a few decades ago? How were cables fixed in the era of the Walkman? Time for a trip down memory lane.
Feb 22, 2024

What Are Data Centers?

We're back with episode three of our five-part podcast special, which explains the nuts and bolts of the internet.

You've come to the right place if you're interested in understanding how those cat videos travel from the source to your phone. 

In episode two, we explained how the internet is made of transport networks to carry data over (mostly) fiber optic wires distributed worldwide. And in the episode before that, we discussed how the internet is a network of networks operated by thousands of mostly private companies.

But we haven’t yet covered exactly how and where those networks meet and exchange traffic with each other and access their destinations. So today, it's data center time.
Feb 15, 2024

What is a Transport Network?

Welcome back to our five-part podcast special that literally explains how the internet you know and love works.

Last week we covered the most basic question: what is the internet?

Today, we tunnel deeper, exploring the physical transport networks behind this seemingly invisible, omnipresent information superhighway.

Feb 8, 2024

What is the Internet?

If you've caught TeleGeography's podcast, you'll know that we endeavor to explain the business behind human connection every week. We've chatted about Wi-Fi, WAN, and everything in between. 

We've audaciously called our show TeleGeography Explains the Internet, but we've never properly explained how the internet works and how bits get pushed around the globe—until now.

That's right. We decided it was time to, quite literally, explain the internet.
Jan 23, 2024

Wi-Fi 6 Afraid of 7?

On TeleGeography Explains the Internet, we often focus on the long-haul, zeroing in on the network portion of telecoms. Today, with the help of Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), we’re switching things up a bit.

Drawing upon his vast expertise in Wi-Fi, Tiago steps into the hot seat to outline the key issues in wireless LAN.
Jan 17, 2024

The Red Sea: A Key Subsea Cable Crossroads Under Siege

The Red Sea is a global hot spot at the moment due to repeated attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels against commercial shipping vessels.

While this inlet is a strategic location for global shipping, it also plays a vital role in global communications networks.
Jan 10, 2024

How Is the Global Network Keeping Up With Demand?

By any measure, the global bandwidth market is thriving. International bandwidth demand has nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022, and has now reached 3.8 Pbps.

Meanwhile, the lit capacity on major submarine cable routes continues to soar, keeping pace with demand.

How? Is the network getting faster?

Not quite. Think bigger highway, not faster cars.

 

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