Actually only a percentage +/-9% of the old WilTel network is still in pipe. A great sales tool though. The ring concept is noble one. Most carriers are trying their hardest to build those systems. What has prevented it so far is order backlog! There are so many pending orders for additional network that the new fiber builds are going in as linear SONET OC-48 and OC-192 where available. Seems that they can't afford to part with the precious overhead that the RINGS require. Dan L Dale Sr. Sales Engineer Exodus Communications, Inc. (formerly of MCI and WorldCom) -----Original Message----- From: Owen DeLong [SMTP:owen@DeLong.SJ.CA.US] Subject: Re: DC fiber cut: field report The thing that doesn't make sense to me in all of this is that SONET is supposed to be built as RINGS. With a Service side and a Protect side to each switch. BIFF should, in theory, only take out one or the other, but not both. WHY, with what we pay these carriers every month, do they not divergent-path route these critical wide-area links so that this isn't fatal?

Anyone from MFS/WilTel/WorldCom/UUNET/AlterNet/whoever-else-they-buy-but- still-don't-fix-what-they-have care to comment? Owen DeLong Exodus