FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed that the US standard for broadband be redefined to a minimum of 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds, up from the current 25Mbps/3Mbps. more
In an effort to universalize access to high-speed broadband by 2030, the White House has allocated $42 billion to the 50 states and U.S. territories under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. more
I've had a number of people ask me about how I think COVID-19 will impact the ISP industry over the next six months. It's an interesting question to consider because there are both positive and negative trends that ISPs need to be concerned about. The chances are that these various trends will affect markets and ISPs differently - making it that much harder for an individual ISP to understand what they are going to see over the next six months. more
I was looking over the stated goals of the broadband satellite companies and was struck by the sheer numbers of satellites that are being planned. The table further down in the blog shows plans for nearly 15,000 new satellites. To put this into perspective, consider the number of satellites ever shot into space. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (NOOSA) has been tracking space launches for decades. more
Elon Musk's quest to expand his Starlink satellite broadband service into India faces significant pushback from Mukesh Ambani, Asia's wealthiest individual and head of Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio. more
A new network of European telecommunication satellites will be active from 2024, following the green light by European Parliament. The Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite project is aimed at providing a secure communications infrastructure for EU government bodies and agencies, emergency services and European delegations around the world. more
Doug Madory reporting from Renesys: In February 2011, the first submarine cable connecting the island nation of Cuba to the global Internet (by way of Venezuela) landed on Siboney beach, Santiago de Cuba. In the two years since, the fate of the cable has been a mystery for Cuba observers. In the past week, Renesys' global monitoring system has picked up indications that this cable has finally been activated, although in a rather curious way, as explained... more
A few years ago, there were a lot of predictions that we'd see broadband networks converting to quantum technology because of the enhanced security. As happens with many new technologies, quantum computing is advancing at a slower pace than the wild predictions that accompanied the launch of the new technology. more
Real-Time Entertainment (streaming video and audio) traffic is now responsible for over 70% of North American downstream traffic in the peak evening hours on fixed access networks, according to a new report from Sandvine. Five years ago, video and audio streaming accounted for less than 35%. more
In 2017, Telesat, an established Canadian geostationary satellite operator, announced a planned low-Earth orbit Internet service constellation. The plan called for 117 satellites with inter-satellite laser links in a mix of inclined and polar orbits, enabling global coverage. more
My colleague, Robert Smallwood in Geraldton, WA at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA Government), has been testing Starlink now since March 2022 and he reports on his experience and in general, provides updates about Starlink and its mother company, SpaceX. He allowed me to use his report to write this article. more
All newly built residences located in counties and cities where a public fiber optic telecom network is available, have to be equipped with fiber network connections, according to new Chinese government policy from its Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. "The standards will take effect from April 1, 2013, and will also require residences to offer equal connections to services from various telecom companies allowing customers to choose which service they want," reports the China Daily. more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted procedures for Phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, which will award up to $16 billion in support over ten years for the deployment of fixed broadband networks to homes and businesses in census tracks that are unserved by voice and broadband with download speeds of at least 25 Mbps. more
According to news sources Google's fiber-to-the-home service is expanding to four additional cities: Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Google Fiber currently is available in Kansas City, Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah. At a price tag of $80 per month, the service offers speeds around 10 times greater than that of the average Internet connection. more
Amazon has announced the development of a range of customer terminals for its broadband satellite network, Project Kuiper. The company's first device is a "standard" customer terminal that measures less than 11 inches square and one inch thick and weighs less than five pounds. more
A World-Renowned Source for Internet Developments. Serving Since 2002.