Dark Fiber

Indonesian telco PT Indotsat president Harry Sasongko said that they will build a new 1300km subsea system called SKKL to be installed in cooperation with NEC. It will have four landing points on the islands of Tanjung Pakis (Karawang, West Java), Sungai Kakap (Pontianak, West Kalimantan), Tanjung Bemban (Batam), and Changi (Singapore).

For Island Nations this is equivalent to a major inter-national fiber build and given the size (population and geography) of the countries involved this is a big step. It is yet another example of how many Nations of the world have recognized the need for fiber to support broadband and the applications that ride above it and have a plan in motion to do something about it.

The five years following the completion of these subsea and National fiber systems will be quite an amazing time to watch IP applications be born, evolve and mature. Massive intellectual wealth will be created along with untold financial gains for those that invest TODAY in the proper fiber infrastructure to bring it all about.

I came across this blog mention of the recent Zayo announcement about them bringing fiber (and their transport services) to more towers in the USA.

"As 4G networks start coming online in force and people start using them to their fullest potential, those who are ready with fiber stand to make good money."
Rob Powell

Right on Rob Powell!

The USA is just catching on to what other countries (most of which are much smaller geographically hence their advanced state) already know - the future is mobile and people use a ton of data, so fiber is essential for backhaul from towers.

I was in London last week speaking at a unique conference - the Dark Fibre Convention. (yes they spell it fibre). The fact that they have such a gathering and it is the 2nd annual says a lot. A specific event around dark fiber would never happen in the US right now as no one really understands the issues/demand around the need for "new" dark fiber as it relates to wireless backhaul, Ethernet for the enterprise, Internet growth, etc. Many people in the US continue to believe that there is enough fiber already out there and no new routes ever need to be built. Tell that to the wireless carriers sitting on towers without fiber and the rural carriers with only limited leased lit services to choose from.

In London I met with numerous companies from around the world already operating neutral dark fiber networks very similar to what we are setting out to do with Allied Fiber. They all presented several "success stories" of their models and progress. It is quite amazing to see the difference between the Europe/UK/Africa and the investment being made there in new dark fiber builds and the deep lack of understanding of the same here in the US.

A few standouts that presented were

Dark Fibre Africa - located in South Africa

From their homepage:

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), which started rolling out its network in metropolitan areas in October 2007, specialises in the financing, building and installation of carrier neutral, open access, ducting infrastructure. This infrastructure is commissioned by licensed telecom and Internet operators, which provide high-speed voice, data and video services to customers.

The underlying business principle is that of an Independent "Open Access" Infrastructure. DFA will always be Competition-Neutral providing a Ducting Infrastructure that is "Open" to all licensed players, on equal terms.

Also, Metroweb - located in Milan, Italy

Metroweb was one of the fiber optic network pioneers, and one of the first to recognize the strategic importance that the diffusion of broadband Internet services would have on the future of Europe and the rest of the world. This is one of the reasons why Metroweb is currently able to provide such a widespread network that ranges from the large metropolitan area of Milan and branches out towards the most important cities in Northern Italy. A network that currently handles a cable length of over 5,100 kilometers, something which is difficult to find in any other European capital city.

It is thanks to our foresight that Italian broadband providers are now able to
create their own infrastructures and maintain them efficiently without having
to invest large amounts of capital in their ventures. Metroweb leases its fiber optic network to all the telecommunication providers who aim to supply innovative services that require fast, reliable and extremely high-quality connections. The conditions are highly advantageous and can be adapted to suit the specific requirements of:

• internet providers 
  
• landline phone companies 
  
• mobile phone companies 
  
• digital and multimedia content
  
• distributors 
  
• local authorities

Well now how about that! Dark Fiber leasing businesses are alive and doing well all around the world! There are many places, applications, needs and uses for dark fiber and given the expansion of all of the above it does not seem logical to think that there would not also be a parallel need to expand dark fiber that is available for lease as well. Clearly for the participants at the Dark Fibre Convention there is no doubt about the need for new dark fibre!

"Chunghwa launched its fibre network in March 2004 and plans to cover 80% of the population with the infrastructure by the end of 2010"
 - Telegeography

Read the article

Granted, Taiwan is not the largest area in the world that needs to be covered by fiber, but the point is that they get it. Fiber is the way and they will be there.

Hopefully fiber deployment will have some per mile/per capita figure that equates to an increase in GDP formula that can be applied to all countries. If we then build an open, National Fiber Network we can apply that formula to ourselves and forecast how we will pay down our $1.4 Trillion deficit. 

No other infrastructure, or industry will be able to create enough value and expand faster than our spending and debt.

Central Africa has a broadband plan, based on a fiber core and being
funded by the World Bank with US$. From the fiber core running along an oil pipeline (right of way) regional networks will extend out to provide access
and services to multiple countries vastly improving Internet reach
and use.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, The Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe and Sudan will all particiate and benefit from this design and overall project. It is yet another sign, and quite a significant one, that the rest of the world is moving forward with new fiber-based designs to improve connectivity and ultimately their way of life.

Central African Backbone project goes ahead
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=30398&email=text

What is so crazy about a new, large dark fiber build? 

Apparently if you look around the world there is nothing crazy about it at all. Some countries may seem to not have enough fiber, others may already have plently, but require more fiber, newer fiber, or fiber in places that have not had it before. 

There are many reasons and many examples. Here are a few recent clips from planned and completed builds around the world

China Telecom and RCOM launch first terrestrial China-India cable

Reliance and Bharti aim to build new India-Bangladesh fibre links

CNT to invest USD300m this year

Antel Uruguay selects Alca-Lu consortium for submarine cable network

..yes it's submarine, but it's fiber, DWDM and 3.84 Tb...

BT confirms January 2010 date for FTTC commercial launch

MT to deploy second fibre-optic cable 

Telcotech fibre-optic cable to go live by year-end

Subsea, long haul, metro, to the home and beyond - new fiber is being built in just about every segement of the general network architecture and in just about every place in the world. 

Is it a "trend"?



No, it is logical... and necessary.

On August 12, 2009 I spoke on a broadband panel at the FCC in Washington DC. It was quite an experience. In all of my years of public speaking I have never been given a 3 minute time limit for my introduction. There is a lot to say about dark fiber, carrier hotels, data centers, Ethernet, wavelengths, wireless broadband, voice peering, etc. Thankfully the FCC were gracious hosts and the panel went for 2 hours, so everyone got to make their points. 

Click here to watch the video

Some of the topics we covered included:

• The state of wired broadband deployment today (last mile, middle mile, Internet backbone)
• "Business case" factors that influence the pace of wired broadband deployment (costs, revenue opportunities, regulatory considerations)
• How the plan should evaluate the adequacy of wired broadband deployment
• Possibility of new wired broadband entrant
• Future plans for wired deployment
• Key performance metrics
• Pole Attachments
• Rights of Way 
   

The other panelists were true industry experts and I believe the attendees and FCC learned a few important things from the session.

Rob Curtis, FCC, Moderator  

David Armentrout, President and COO, West Virginia FiberNet

Dallas S. Clement, EVP, Chief Strategy and Product Officer, Cox Communications

Anthony J. (Tony) DiMaso, VP--Corporate Strategy and Development, Verizon Communications

Craig E. Moffett, VP and Senior Analyst, U.S. Telecommunications, Cable and Satellite, Sanford Bernstein

Hunter Newby, CEO, Allied Fiber

Marcus Weldon, CTO, Wireline Networks Product Division, Alcatel-Lucent
 
 

Even Sri Lanka has a plan and they know it starts with fiber.

Seven bidders for national fibre backbone project


 

Allied Fiber has submitted reply comments to the FCC referencing others' National Broadband Plan submissions. 

The purpose of the reply comments is to help the FCC, NTIA and RUS see the inter-relationship between the various network segements of last-mile, middle-mile and backhaul and the respective organizations that address those components. 

The "solution" to the problem of rural broadband is not so easy when looking out from within the rural areas themselves. If they are viewed instead as part of a larger "network of rural islands" and how they are located between major served areas of broadband access the true way forward can be observed. 

The first round deadline of August 14th is getting closer. Hopefully there is enough time to get the correct message out and across to those that are making the decisions regarding fund allocation.

In keeping with our pursuit of creating a totally new physical layer architecture for communications networks Allied Fiber submitted its Comments to the FCC in the matter of a National Broadband Plan.

In Summary:

The national broadband plan first and foremost should be a blueprint for the widest possible deployment of the national broadband infrastructure over which all applications and content will ride. The infrastructure consists of three components -- last mile broadband networks to homes and businesses, middle mile facilities that connect last mile networks to the global Internet, and the Internet core, which consists of regional, national, and international networks that provide global Internet connectivity. The national broadband plan should address all three components and set forth the architecture as well as standard business model conditions for their seamless integration, operation, and use.

- Although this is overly Internet related, it is so due to the overwhelming popularity of the Internet and its seemingly synonomus relationship with the term and concept of broadband. Too much is made of the Internet and not enough of physical access to it for many to realize that the root issues are in the ducts and dark fiber. 

Beyond just realizing the critical role of the physical layer though is the absolutely essential component of the business model. That is of course predicated on there being a business in place to own, operate and manage the physical assets.  How that business conducts itself is of the utmost importance for if it is improper the physical assets are ultimately a waste. Considering this first will set the right course. Without it there is no need to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to create the physical assets as they essentially will not exist for the good of the many.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rich Tehrani in the TMCNET Newsroom in Norwalk, CT for a series of interviews. Aside from the general Allied Fiber update and a couple of specific announcements we also discussed the Dark Fiber Community, its purpose and function in the industry. 

The fundemental concept to grasp regarding this online community is that it is comprised of members that inter-relate. The community supports itself as the members support each other. They do not need to do so specifically in any way, but rather their presence gives the buyers what they seek - a resource to gain information about the entire ecosystem and not just one narrow component. 

Building a lit transport network on dark fiber and potentially incorporating microwave backhaul in to the equation is not such an easy task when you're dealing with 1000+ miles in one shot. The ability to one-stop-shop is key - particularly with the fiber/towers and colocation facilities along the route, but also the ability to gain insight as to the other vendors you can potentially deal with for each component helps move the process along.

As Allied Fiber continues ahead the Dark Fiber Community will become an increasingly integral piece of the experience for those that are new to network construction, maintenance and operations. Stay tuned and as always let us know if you have any questions.

Allied Fiber
www.alliedfiber.com

The Allied Fiber team has spent some quality time in Washington DC over the past few weeks and it was time well spent. We had 18 meetings with Members of Senate and Congress and their staff covering the States and Districts that Allied Fiber will touch in our Phase 1 build-out between New York, Chicago and Ashburn, VA.

The mission was to get the message out - which we did. The message is that Allied Fiber intends on creating several short and long term jobs while enabiling everything that relies on communications networks by creating the critical fiber, tower and colocation infrastructure that communications networks need to succeed. 

We came to the meetings to deliver our message along with our NTIA Comments. Our summary is:

Over the past ten years, we have learned that knowledge is power. Broadband networks deliver knowledge. With power comes money. With money comes growth. It is a simple equation. It is a machine. If its pieces are assembled properly and it is well-oiled with no false restrictions, it works. It has a direct positive multiplier effect on the productivity of individuals and has been and will continue to be a major driver of the new economy. This can be nothing but good for the economy.

We would like to thank everyone again for taking the time to meet with us.
 

Dark fiber is not the mystery it once was. The black magic is gone. Equipment vendors and new technology have made it a much simpler process to build and manage a layer 2 network and the word is out. The transport business is also growing as result for just as those that once bough leased lines now seek their own fiber there are others that once only bought IP transit and are now leasing layer 2 transport. This is a very natural progression of people moving up the learning curve (and down the stack as it were). 

We all know the story of the people that said that "no one will ever need more capacity that a T1". 10G waves and 10GE is commonplace today. The public Internet has its own issues with security and reliability. In a recent article by Micheal Healey in Information Week about Cloud Computing these comments were made:

"The two biggest weaknesses of cloud computing are reliability and security," says one respondent. "Is the service going to be available 24/7? What happens when the Internet fails in a crisis? If there is a rush on the service, will the service collapse in a political or market crisis? Will our data and other information be compromised? How will we know if it has been compromised?"

No one has all the answers.

What if the Internet fails in a crisis? Maybe some people are shocked by the assertion. Well, guess what? The Internet does fail! The failures mainly have to do with physical layer issues first and then routed layer 3 network congestion. This reality is causing IT managers to wake up and look for layer 2 transport with inherent security and guaranteed throughput. 

The next step is to ask the ISP's and transport providers for their physical layer fiber network path maps - if they even have them, or will provide access to them. Only then will the buyers know their true diversity, redundancy and probabilty of a complete outage. When thinking about Business Continuity Planning, start there.
 

Allied Fiber spent most of the last week in DC visiting with Members of Congress, Senate and staffers. It was an interesting and educational experience to say the very least.

Allied Fiber has engaged Bingham McCutchen and ML Strategies to represent AF in Washington DC and assist us in getting the good word out. Things are going quite well and we submitted our formal comments to the NTIA by the April 13th deadline.

The timing and process of the NTIA, RUS and FCC Comments has been terrific for Allied FIber. Without us having to do anything several groups, associations, cooperatives and the like all throughout the US submitted for public record their perspectives on what is needed in the US to stimulate broadband awareness, use and deployment. With very few exceptions their Comments included provisions for "middle-mile" and "backhaul" requirements in order to link the last-mile networks with the major interconnection points in the Country. This is obviously something we know a great deal about and have based our plan on it. Nothing could have been better for Allied Fiber and its business model and philosophy. 

Essentially our model was validated by all of those that are trying to make the NTIA, RUS and FCC aware of the lack of and hence need for these critical network components and at the same time we collected several very clear, indirect endorsements of our plan from strong sources in the industry.

Thanks to All! We are on The Way

The Australian government has decided that the country's best interests are served by a National Broadband Plan. See the news in Telegeography.This shows that at least some people believe that it is a good idea to have a plan before you throw money on the street. It helps to know what the end result should be so that you can properly gauge what the applicants are saying they will do against what really needs to be done. That way you can also tell if they can actually pull it off, or if it is just more of the same that got you in to the current situation in the first place.

Two other interesting points

1. They have a $30+ Billion plan (not $7.2 Billion)
2. They have a 100% coverage goal for the plan with 90% of the homes getting 100Mbps and 12Mbps for the other 10%. (that's broadband speed!)

Australia is 7.6 Million SQ KM and has a population of 21 Million

The US is 9.1 Million SQ KM and has a population of 303 Million

Coverage being what it is the total land mass is only about 1.5 Million SQ KM different. The real issue is in the FTTH cost difference of the 280+ Million people. It should not be in the long haul that wraps the land though. 

Bottom line - how does $7.2 Billion cover US?