This message contributes to the various strands of the thread created by "BOOM! there goes WorldCom". No Internic/DNS musings here. *** CONTENT RATINGS (on a 10 point scale) Operational Issues 3 DNS/Bind Issues 0 *** 1) Fiber Routes Essentially, there are four (soon to be five) nationwide fiber networks. Sprint built (or at least started) first, building fiber routes mostly along Southern Pacific RR right-of-way. In the process of their build, Microwave Communications Incorporated (MCI) and AT&T decided they better do the same. Shortly after Sprint was in progress, the communications division of the Williams Cos. (WilTel) had the brilliant idea to run fiber in abandoned oil/gas pipelines (no, they did not run fiber down ACTIVE oil/gas pipelines). Williams Co eventually sold (some or most?) of this asset to LDDS (and along with other acquisitions), now known as WorldCom, Inc. All of these players buy/sell/swap this fiber capacity between each other. Recently, there has been a bit of a bandwidth crunch (I hope I don't have to explain why to the folks on this list). Folks like Frontier had a little trouble finding the necessary bandwidth to fuel their facilities-based long distance business growth. Fed up with the limited supply and rising prices (ECON 101), Qwest saw an opportunity to "build" versus buy. They are proceeding to build the "fifth" nationwide fiber network. Underlying any company who advertises their "own" nationwide network, sits at least one of these providers. 2) Route Diversity Each of these carriers (or at least the first four) offer route diversity, for a premium price. If you order two circuits between the same locations, you may get lucky and have them provisioned across separate fiber routes. You can check this with the DLR. However, if you did not PAY for route diversity, the carrier may very well groom them at a later time into the same fiber path. Ocassionally, folks will pay for route diversity, and yet the carrier STILL grooms their circuits onto the same path (operations error, poor systems, or just plain bad faith). If you pay for diversity, and don't get it, THEN you have something to complain about (and a pretty good basis for credits, at least). Otherwise, network grooms are SOP for IXC network facilities management. Buying from two different carriers doesn't assure diversity, either. The second carrier may provision your service over the first carrier's facilities. Or, both carriers may share the conduit for their fiber run. When a carrier provisions your service over another carrier's facilities, there are likely to be coordination problems. How and if these issues get resolved is beyond me. 3) Sprint's name The Sprint we know today was basically created by the 50/50 joint venture between United Telecom and GTE, the two largest independent local telephone companies. United Telecom owned US Telecom, their long distance division. GTE had recently bought a low-cost long distance company from SP Communications, with which they formed GTE Sprint. The merger of these two groups formed US Sprint. Later, United bought another 30% of the joint venture, and later again, bought the whole company from GTE (which seems funny now, since it looks like GTE will be having to buy its way into the long distance business, again). Once United owned the whole company, United dropped the "US" of US Sprint, and renamed the entire corporation, Sprint (which is why all the local United Telephone companies are now Sprint). 4) SONET It is true that SONET technology provides the capability for protection from fiber cuts, with automatic reroutes along SONET loops. In order to accomplish this, a carrier would have to keep 50% of their available bandwidth on "hot standby". Because of the limited bandwidth supply/rising prices, carriers find this a bit difficult to justify economically (how many of you have 100% redundant facilities, and make money?). If your carrier sells you on the automatic service restoration qualities of their SONET deployment, you better get it in writing, and not just accept what the sales person tells you. That way, when your DS3 goes down, you'll at least have a bargaining position. The circuits that do reroute are priority circuits, and unless you are the federal government or Fortune 50, you are not likely priority. Happy packet passing, Kent Dallas GridNet International Pricing Manager http://www.gridnet.com 770.518.5346 770.998.9096.fax "Don't be a crash dummy on the kdallas@gridnet.com information superhighway"