PSINet: largest internet fibre network in Europe
Summary
In 1999 the internet carrier PSINet announced that it would build the largest fibre network for internet traffic in Europe, more than 21,000 kilometres long and connecting 30 metropolitan areas. The cities were to be linked by several fibre rings so that operation would continue if individual routes failed. Initially three rings at 155 Mbit/s were planned, later at least 620 Mbit/s instead of the previous 34 Mbit/s.
Ideas
- Ring topologies keep connections up if a route fails.
- The expansion took place in stages from 155 to 620 Mbit/s.
- Carriers built their own networks to become independent of former monopolies.
Insights
- Redundancy through rings is a basic principle of fail-safe networks.
- What counted as backbone capacity in 1999 is the bandwidth of a home connection today.
Facts
- By the end of 1999, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Frankfurt, among others, were to be connected.
- The Berlin provider Interactive Networx belonged to PSINet.
References
Critique
- The report adopts the company’s superlatives without questioning how the expansion was financed.
Remarks
- PSINet went bankrupt in 2001 in the wake of the dotcom crash.
Recommendations
- Plan critical network connections with redundant routes, not over a single route.
- With providers, also check their economic stability, not just the bandwidth on offer.
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