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Internet; right bandwidth to prevent bandwidth exhaustion

Broadband and bandwidth are the most common topics in data communication where Internet is concerned. Like how we need broader roads to commute, we need broader bandwidth to pump data right across the networks without getting them slowed. When bandwidth hungry applications emerged, the existing bandwidth from International backbone to the last mile was also widened to facilitate the movement of traffic. This clearly shows how applications are driving the bandwidth in the Internet.

When Internet develops, bandwidth multimedia applications such as high definition videos and bulky data have started to transact among people living in different parts of the world irrespective of the distance. The revolutionized Internet has been named as a multipurpose domestic service in the world. Digital photographs and documents were added to the list in addition to other bandwidth intensive applications such as online video conferencing and real time video surveillance.

Telecommuting service

The necessity of living quality real time video applications pushes the bandwidth further up and that demands the operators to expand their networks often.

The wake of Internet has managed to change the way we work, entertain, live and learn (WELL). The service like telecommuting provided us the opportunity to work from the home or to work extra hours and it reduces the traffic on the road and increase our income significantly.

Medical knowledge will enhance the quality in health services and it significantly uplifts the medical standards in rural areas. The century’s wonder tool has come to the door step. Therefore immediate preparations must be made to welcome this technology right in to the country to obtain its benefits without further delaying.

Growing applications

We must identify the bandwidth requirements in our country to run rich Internet applications without facing restrictions. The bandwidth must be widened accordingly to meet new demands created by the growing applications adding daily in to the Internet. In this context it is vital to understand the potentials of bandwidth and the role it plays in Internet development in the country.

Bandwidth is like the roads that carries motor traffic. Wider the road, lesser would be the traffic congestion. Similarly high capacity bandwidth is needed to transfer data at higher speeds to save time and to increase the efficiency in tasks.

To approach this in a constructive way let us draw our attention to internal bandwidth capacities and try to configure the demand we really need.

The majority of broadband subscribers in the country consists of ADSL customers. The ceiling bandwidth provided in this technology by the operator is 4Mbps.

But the majority of subscribers are using 512kbps due to higher charges set upon in high bandwidth services. Rupees 9,500 will be charged monthly for 4Mbps service. However in Japan, one could subscribe for 100Mbps service at the price of rupees 3,700. If we work this out in the other way around; to obtain speeds that the Japanese are getting, we Sri Lankans have to pay rupees 2,37,500.00 monthly.

It is the reality that Japan is a well developed country with wide spread of communications networks and we are not, but that does not mean we have to pay exorbitant and unethical charges for higher bandwidth services.

This unregulated price structure secured by the operators has prevented the country from going beyond the limit of one digit in bandwidth while countries like Japan reaches the three digits in bandwidth. This price cartel in the country must be cracked if we really need to see bandwidth explosion taking in the country.

Nascent stage

This is the preventing factor in bandwidth development and the Government’s attention to this national issue is urgently needed.

The low end broadband services below 1Mbps have been totally wiped-out with the emergence of rich bandwidth hungry Internet applications in the world. Countries where Internet is at a nascent stage are still struggling with nominal bandwidth broadband services that are of no match in this competitive world, Sri Lanka is no exception.

Internet applications are at a continuous process of developing. We never know what is in store. The services like BPO and other similar back office business require high bandwidth services at competitive prices. If we cannot provide this communication infrastructure to BPO investors, they will never consider setting up their business in our soil.

If we take a good look, we could see how fast these applications are growing. Telecommuting and BPO are good examples. The speed in broadband is the driving force that takes technology ahead through innovation. Therefore bandwidth and speed would be the primary components in data services that assure the growth.

Sri Lanka must become a supplier of digital goods and services to the global market.

This is not possible as long as our data communication networks remain congested. Super fast high speed broadband service with adequate bandwidth must be provided to all subscribers in the country at affordable prices.

FTTH (Fiber to the Home) is just around the corner. Therefore future bandwidth calculations must be done accordance to the fiber technology to suit its potentials.

To make people ready for such initiatives, national goals must be set for the year 2013 with 10Mbps residential connections for a price that everybody could afford.

Strategic plan

This target must be revised to a higher level if we take this debate in later times. This would raise the eyebrows of many who are unfamiliar with bandwidth trends in the international broadband market arena. This is the nature of high speed Internet.

It is changing at a lightning speed and today’s broadband could become narrowband by tomorrow. Europe is leading the race in broadband and many countries have passed the limit of 25Mbps in domestic broadband services by the end of 2008. Sometime back I proposed to introduce 1Mbps broadband service as a broadband standard in Sri Lanka.

But that time has passed. We should not implement any proposal which is older than one year without applying amendments especially when bandwidth goals are concerned.

The cost involved in high bandwidth services can be minimized effectively through a strategic plan if implemented at a national level. Sri Lanka must be converted in to an IT hub in the world with specialized IT services based on digital services and goods. The local content must be increased and developed to suit global requirements and demands.

The Government can provide incentives to investors set up storage servers that would host data at a lower price, which would enable them to compete with the International data hosting market. Large scale data centers such as IDCs and server pools could also be setup with high tech facilities to attract foreign companies. Further every manufacture, developer, farmer or any business party and even a hotel must be provided with the opportunity to host their content and services on the Internet locally, where international buyers can reach them directly.

This content development would increase inward traffic and eventually it brings foreign currency to our country. The underutilized international and national circuits could be utilized with revenue generating global traffic that brings more business and money in to the country. However to convert Sri Lanka into an IT hub in the region, the bandwidth phobia must diminish before it swallows the entire industry.

The outdated regulations in the country which hampers the IT development must be revised to remove bottlenecks. If open access and network resource sharing mechanism can bring to the effect much of the bandwidth cartel will disappear like morning dew.

This would prevent the country from running in to bandwidth exhaustion in the future due to misjudged bandwidth allocations.

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