Networks
Aug 3, 2023

How the Cost of Network Ownership Can Change Over Time

Enterprise customers have embraced hybrid networks that employ multiple underlay technologies combined with an SD-WAN overlay. And for good reason.

Many SaaS applications and cloud services have been optimized to work over local internet connections rather than through central internet breakouts. The integration of an SD-WAN overlay addresses many of the concerns about network performance and security that come along with incorporating internet into the WAN.

And as we detailed in our recent blog series, the DIA and broadband services included in these hybrid networks are often cheaper than MPLS–sometimes considerably so. This allows WAN managers to reduce network spend or increase their capacity while staying within the same budget.

But even after enterprise customers have undergone a network transformation, it is still imperative for them to keep tabs on the market and assess what their network should cost. Particularly if their network contract includes a benchmarking clause.

With the latest update of our enterprise port pricing, we looked back at some previous hypothetical network scenarios to see how the cost of network ownership can change over time.
Jul 20, 2023

Content Providers Are Still Hungry for Bandwidth

Earlier this week, I joined Ciena and Telstra for a live webinar highlighting Asia-Pacific market drivers, trends, and new cable builds.

During my session, which focused on Trans-Pacific submarine cable trends, content providers came up quite a bit.

These companies prioritize the need to link their data centers and major interconnection points. As such, they often deploy massive amounts of capacity on core routes.

The Trans-Pacific and Intra-Asia routes are two great examples.
Jul 6, 2023

What’s the Difference Between FTTC, FTTN, and FTTP?

There are a lot of acronyms used in the telecommunications space, and it can be tough to keep them straight.

Thanks to TeleGeography's new acronym cheatsheet, you don't have to.

Mixing up FTTC, FTTN, and FTTP, for example? NBD, we've got you covered.

Jun 22, 2023

Satellite Mergers, Acquisitions, and Market Consolidation

Connectivity by satellite is not new, but expanding networks via low earth orbit (LEO) is a recent phenomenon receiving lots of investment.

As interest in LEO connectivity has grown, the number of companies looking to establish themselves in the market has also gone up. However, in recent conversations with satellite industry leaders, we’ve heard speculation that the market may have reached a saturation point.

That means mergers, acquisitions, and market consolidation are likely to occur. In fact, some of that has already begun to unfold.
Jun 12, 2023

2023 Update: Industry Practices and Future Capacity Requirements

In 2019, my colleague Alan Mauldin and I busted the myth that the submarine cable industry’s current practices would sustain our future capacity requirements. 

Four years later, we revisited the same question during our telecom mythbusting session at SubOptic 2023. Was the verdict the same?
Jun 7, 2023

Latin American Pricing Takeaways From ITW

Last month, the TeleGeography team joined scores of ICT infrastructure professionals in National Harbor, Maryland for International Telecommunications Week.

One of the many topics discussed was price erosion in Latin America. The main trend likely comes as no surprise: prices keep falling. But there is nuance to how price erosion is occurring in different markets.

Let’s explore the context in more detail.
Jun 5, 2023

Has Geopolitical Conflict Between China and the U.S. Caused Their Networks to Disconnect?

Let’s talk about geopolitical conflict between China and the U.S. and how it’s affecting the network. Has it caused the two countries to disconnect?
May 18, 2023

Is This the Greatest Shortcoming of the Human Race?

At SubOptic 2023, my colleague Tim Stronge and I brought back the Telecom Mythbusters to test a new series of myths. I already covered my first two myths from our presentation: the cable lifespan myth and the 99% myth.

My third and final myth—the exponential growth myth—is based upon a quote that I found: “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” –Albert Allen Bartlett
May 4, 2023

Do Submarine Cables Account For Over 99% of Intercontinental Data Traffic?

“Submarine cables account for over 99% of intercontinental data traffic” is regularly quoted in the press with no source given.

It’s time for some fact-checking.
Apr 20, 2023

Is the Lifespan of a Submarine Cable Really 25 Years?

“The lifespan of a submarine cable is 25 years.” We’ve all heard that, right?

Is this statement really a fact, or is it fiction? Let’s find out.

 

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