| We can't pretend to be able to replace the phone networks until we can | achieve similar reliability. Phone networks typically are spec'ed to | two minutes a year downtime.

Uh huh, while I agree with you that the Internet is not remotely as stable as voice networks are, I think that this has a great deal to do with the revenue difference.

Consider that a T3, eating 690 DS0s, at 10 cents/minute/DS0, is worth ($52560 * 690) some thirty-six million dollars a year in revenue on the voice network.

Sean - not picking nits but should that not be 28 T1s i.e. 24 * 28 giving 672 DS0s ? Given the cost of even the cheapest voice tariff from DE to the US as another example I get an annual worth of 311 million dollars for the same DS2 circuit. Given that a leased transatlantic DS3 costs between 6.5-7 million dollars p.a. this again reinforces your point below. Dave

I think you will agree that a T3 for Internet connectivity is not worth a very large fraction of that.

Moreover, a backbone T3 for voice going down costs (at roughly 10 cents/minute/DS0) $4000/hour in lost billable revenue.

If the money figures for Internet connectivity were anywhere near the figures for voice, and was billed by use in small increments, you would expect greater investment in reliability, as one sees on voice networks.

Frankly, where there is significant competition and little or no loss-leading and cross-subsidy, the Internet is precisely as reliable as people are willing to pay for.

Sean.