[IP] more on Setting history straight: So, who really did invent the Internet?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Rahul Tongia <tongia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 4, 2005 11:15:01 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Setting history straight: So, who really
did invent the Internet?
Dave,
I have studied African connectivity in some detail for a while, and I
certainly agree that International connectivity is an issue, if not
bottleneck. However, some of the global links have African control/
ownership, e.g., SAFE, so it would be misleading to blame
"outsiders." There are also local monopolies per nation for some
fiber landings. In that sense, it is the incumbents [like
everywhere!] who keep prices high.
A wild idea on how to do something about connectivity in Africa is at:
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~tongia/FiberAfrica--
ending_a_digital_divide.pdf
Rahul
************************************************************************
Rahul Tongia, Ph.D.
Systems Scientist
School of Computer Science (ISRI) / Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
tel: 412-268-5619
fax: 412-268-2338
email: tongia@xxxxxxx
--On Wednesday, May 04, 2005 11:00 AM -0400 David Farber
<dave@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> Let me add just one thing to this -
> True, international bandwidth is expensive, and across most
landlocked
> parts of Africa, provided over satellite instead of fiber.
>
> However, local internet exchange points such as those in South
Africa and
> Kenya, help optimize local use of traffic, keeping local traffic
local
> and
> encouraging the growth of local datacenters at ISPs that connect
to these
> exchanges, thus encouraging local people to host content locally
instead
> of
> in the USA or elsewhere. They also provide excellent places to host
> mirrors of popular content, and perhaps an Akamai cluster as well
- all
> ways to ensure that local traffic isn't routed out through expensive
> international links.
>
> http://www.pch.net has an excellent record building ISP community
> supported
> exchange points in several developing countries in Asia and
Africa, and
> those AFRISPA members that attended the recent AFNOG will have
interacted
> with people from PCH, such as Gaurab Upadhaya, and attended the
workshop
> on
> internet exchanges held there.
>
> While nobody denies that international bandwidth is expensive,
the cure
> for
> that is to do what I mentioned above - encourage a flourishing local
> internet community.
>
> srs
>
>
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