Readers of our Pricing Suite's latest Bandwidth Pricing Report already know that the Middle East serves as both an important node and a crucial transitway for international capacity.
Cable operators were extremely busy between 2011 and 2017 when they turned up nine new cables in the region. But submarine cable activity slowed quite a bit between 2018 and 2020, as no new cables were launched in the region.
The network faced a host of new demands and challenges in 2020, but many of the key trends that characterized the wholesale market prior to the pandemic held true.
Demand growth remains robust. And while the pace of price erosion moderated in many markets over the past year, prices still continued to decline.
Sure, the TeleGeography team was sad to miss out on their annual trip to Honolulu to deliver our yearly telecom workshop. But a virtual event couldn't stop Brianna Boudreau from taking the audience on a trek around the world.
Over the last year we've learned a lot about internet middle mile—that mysterious space between the office and the cloud.
Our team looked closer at what happens between core backbone and local access. We explored provider types, cloud connectivity, and adoption use cases.
And we can't wait to share our findings.
Until 2015, international carrier voice traffic had increased in each of the previous 60 years.
In each of the past four years, paid call volumes have slumped, with no end in sight. International carriers had already suffered from revenue stagnation due to slow traffic growth and falling prices.
The unprecedented occasion of outright traffic decline, however, marked a new and depressing turning point. In reviewing developments from the past year, three major trends stand out.
More so than normal, our team is thrilled to usher in a new year.
Sure, that’s in part because a new year signals the release of our fourth State of the Network Report—and with it a new batch of data and analysis on the way the world is connecting. But mostly because 2020 presented a unique set of challenges to the world, our industry, and our team.
Global infrastructure company Telxius wants to sell its subsea cable business.
The announcement comes as Telxius majority shareholder Telefónica continues to restructure.
Telefónica has moved out of Central American markets en masse, created new technology and infrastructure units, and, in November 2019, announced an action plan outlining priorities for the changing company.
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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