Internet; right bandwidth to prevent bandwidth exhaustion
Sanath Siriwardena
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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