In Section 3 of the World Bank’s report on ‘The Role of Mobile Phones in Sustainable Rural Poverty Reduction’ statistics are provided on the impact mobile has on rural markets. The research in this report finds that fiber infrastructure directly relates to GDP growth, job creation, productivity, tax revenue as well as social benefits, such as entrepreneurship and job searches, transport and even education, health and disaster relief.  The report outlines the true need and direct measurable benefits of new infrastructure.

The statistics of this report are further supplemented by a recent article in Business Week featuring Alcatel Lucent’s CEO, Ben Verwaayen. The article quotes Verwaayen as saying:

“They (Asia) are building a physical infrastructure that allows people, wherever they are, to participate in the global digital economy. That will give them an enormous advantage in the years to come.”

In essence, Verwaayen states that Asia is ahead of Europe in terms of deploying fiber infrastructure, and therefore has an “enormous advantage in the years to come.” This same statement would be 100% true if the word “Europe” was swapped with “US.” What countries like Asia and Africa realize is that the World Bank report statistics are true, and by building new infrastructure today they are bettering their economies for tomorrow. The US must invest and build fiber infrastructure in the same way to remain a competitive player in the global economy.

NeXXCom Wireless, a full service wireless product and system supplier with high packet microwave and millimeter wave solutions that drive next-generation IP networks, is deploying its state of the art ultra-low latency microwave radio technology. This technology  intends to cut more than 3 milliseconds (mS) from major fiber networks on the financial trading path between Chicago and New Jersey.

The increase in speed is expected to be highly beneficial  for financial trading firms. NeXXCom Wireless’ technology is below 10mS round trip today which is a significant improvement for High Frequency Trading. Sal S. Benti, CEO of NeXXCom Wireless notes “There is no way to accurately measure the effect of the speed increase but it has been estimated that each 1mS improvement can be worth $100 million to a financial trading firm. Our client firms are highly secretive about their trading network strategies and given the amount of profits involved, it’s understandable.”

NeXXCom Wireless has recently joined the Dark Fiber Community and will provide knowledge of wireless technology advancements to community members. Allied Fiber CEO and founder of the Dark Fiber Community, Hunter Newby commented “Fiber and microwave compliment each other in many areas including HFT and mobile backhaul for LTE. I suspect that as trading firms learn more about NeXXCom Wireless’ technology they will begin proliferating these ultra low latency networks around the glove in the not distant future to gain competitive advantage.”

For more information, please visit www.nexxcomwireless.com

Zayo will be adding dark fiber to ExteNet Systems Inc.’s open network for a Distributed Network solution. ExteNet designs, builds, owns and operates outdoor and indoor wireless networks for wireless service providers, government agencies, and transportation corridors throughout North America. Zayo will provide a metro dark fiber network in and around Indianapolis preparing ExteNet and its clients for future network growth.

ExteNet will leverage Zayo’s fiber assets to meet the increasing bandwidth demands of its wireless carrier customers. This expansion will also support bandwidth demands anticipated in Indianapolis for upcoming sporting events. With its concentrated metro fiber network within Indiana, Zayo offers capacity and diversity for service providers like ExteNet.

For more information on Zayo, visit www.zayo.com.

NeXXCom Wireless announces it has joined Allied Fiber’s Dark Fiber Community. NeXXCom is a broadband wireless equipment and systems business with technology leadership in system latency and expertise in building ultra broadband networks where latency performance is critical.

NeXXCom’s radio technology delivers the industry’s lowest latency, highest capacity carrier class radio system, which is essential to high performance, broadband wireless networks. NeXXCom provides fixed ultra broadband IP wireless transmission equipment up to 1000Mb/s optimized for video, latency, jitter and ease of integration along with system design, integration and implementation services.

For further information on NeXXCom’s high frequency ultra low latency solutions, click here.

For more information, visit http://dark-fiber.tmcnet.com.

You could find a payphone just about anywhere in the 80′s. They were our means of making phone calls when we were away from home. Of course, that might mean standing in line at times and having the change available for the phone call. Payphones certainly did you no good if you were stuck in your car or lost out in the woods. Here are ten times I and others might have wished we had cell phones in the 1980′s.

1. Mount St. Helens – No one new the full amount of destruction that would come with the volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Eight people lost their lives. Perhaps that number could have been lower with the availability of cell phone communication.
2. Chariots of Fire – This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and an Academy Award winner of Best Picture. If I’d had a cell phone in 1981, I’d have been texting all my friends and telling them  to go see that film, as soon as I got out of the theatre.
3. Air Traffic Controller Strike – Cell phones would have been been very busy during the three days that the air traffic controllers were on strike and travelers were trying to find ways to reach their destinations. A much better option than standing in line at the payphones in the airports.
4. Trivia Pursuit – This was the hot new board game in the 80′s that tested our knowledge on every level from science to history to entertainment. If I’d had a cell phone, I’d have been seeking out some extra help every time I landed on the Entertainment questions. Would that have been cheating?
5. Cabbage Patch Dolls – Even at top-dollar prices, these dolls were all the rage when they came out in the the 80′s and both my daughters were dreaming of ‘adopting’ one for Christmas. If we’d have had cell phones, my husband I would have split up in our last minute search of empty store shelves for these illusive treasures and kept in continuous contact for updates.
6. Reagan’s Second Term – My sister would have been at election headquarters all night long and if we’d had cell phones in 1984, she could have just kept me updated with her enthusiasm via text messages or phone calls throughout the wee hours of the morning. On second thought, maybe I’m glad she didn’t have a cell phone with her.
7. Out with the New – In with the Old – If I’d had a cell phone in 1985, I’d have been calling or texting all my friends the first time I found Classic Coke back on the shelves after having to endure the ‘New Coke’ replacement for several months.
8. Chernobyl – If there had been cell phones in most hands during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, I would guess that the seriousness of the situation would have been communicated much more quickly than it was and to more of those living near the nuclear plant.
9. Homer Hankies Waving – I would have been sending pictures of all the Homer Hankies waving in the stands when the Twins won the 1987 World Series, if I’d had a cell phone to send them with. It was quite a sight. Go Twins!
10. San Francisco Quake – On October 17, 1989, there were a lot people wishing that they had cell phones, either to call and ask for help or to let loved ones know that they were OK. Your voice can only carry so far when trapped inside a vehicle that’s been caught in a concrete sandwich.

We’ve come to take mobile communication for granted. To hear of someone who doesn’t own a cell phone in current days is a real rarity. Somehow we managed to live without them, just a few decades ago.

This article was originally posted at http://www.phoneservice.org/blog/2011/10-times-i-wish-we-had-cell-phones-in-the-80s/ 

Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber recently spoke at the New England Fiber Optic Council (NEFC) meeting in Waltham, Massachusetts. With a presentation focused on the topic of “The Need and Rationale for a New, National, Carrier-Neutral Dark Fiber and Colocation System,” Hunter gave an overview of where the industry currently is and where it is heading. The presentation also examined the justification for an entirely new, interstate neutral fiber and colocation infrastructure system in the United States. Hunter’s session discussed how the dark fiber system he describes will function, who can benefit from it and why this type of build is critical now in the US.

The NEFC is an organization of individual members and corporations professionally involved in the fiber optics industry. The NEFC’s goal through these meetings is to promote the regional fiber optic industry and spread information about fiber optics to the general public.

In case you missed Hunter’s session, click here to download the presentation. For more information on Allied Fiber, visit www.alliedfiber.com.

XKL, LLC. Founder and CEO, Len Bosack will present the Visionary Keynote address at the 4^th Dark Fibre International Convention taking place November 29-30 in London. The Dark Fibre Convention is designed to deliver insight into growth occurring in the dark fiber sector with presentations, case studies and a wide range of national and international networking opportunities. In addition to presenting the Visionary Keynote, XKL is also a key sponsor of the event.

The international conference will assess a wide range of issues including the increased fiber deployment occurring at metro, rural and national levels and the funding mechanisms supporting those types of builds. Attendees of the Dark Fibre Convention will examine customer segments and geographic areas offering new growth opportunities in emerging markets, including Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey and Africa. XKL looks forward to participating at the event again this year as the convention sets the stage for the latest discussions in the dark fiber industry.

To schedule a meeting with XKL while at the event, email pr@jaymiescotto.com. For more information on XKL, visit www.xkl.com.

Ken desGarennes, CFO of Zayo will present at the Piper Jaffray Technology, Media & Telecom Conference taking place on November 8 and 9, 2011 in New York, New York. The conference will be held at the Westin New York at Times Square. Ken will present during the “Fiber: Famine or Glut?” session commencing at 2:00 PM EST on November 9^th, 2011.

Zayo serves wireline and wireless carriers, data centers, Internet content and services companies, high bandwidth enterprises as well as federal, state and local government agencies. Zayo provides these services over regional, metro and fiber-to-the-tower networks. Zayo’s network assets include over 24,000 route miles, connecting 153 markets across 31 states plus Washington D.C. Additionally, Zayo has 4,400 buildings on-net, 2,000 cell towers on-net, and over 170,000 square feet of colocation space.

For more information on Zayo, visit www.zayo.com.

Zayo’s CFO, Ken desGarennes will present at the Wells Fargo Securities 2011 Technology, Media & Telecom Conference taking place November 8 and 9, 2011 in New York, New York. The conference will be held at the New York Palace Hotel. Ken will speak during the Zayo corporate presentation commencing at 2:05 PM EST on Tuesday, November 8^th, 2011.

Ken is responsible for stewarding Zayo’s finances, including financial reporting and analysis, and various strategic initiatives. He has 14 years of experience in technology and communications and was recently recognized by the Denver Business Journal as 2011 CFO of the Year for his work with Zayo. Zayo is a national provider of fiber-based bandwidth infrastructure and network-neutral colocation and interconnection services. Zayo serves wireline and wireless carriers, data centers, Internet content and services companies, high bandwidth enterprises as well as federal, state and local government agencies.

For more information on Zayo, visit www.zayo.com.

Hunter Newby, Allied Fiber CEO is speaking at Light Reading’s Ethernet Expo, taking place November 8-9 in New York City. Hunter will speak on the “New Backhaul Opportunities for Alternative Access Vendors (AAVs)” panel on Wednesday, November 9 at 10:05am.  The panel will examine solutions wholesalers are pursing as backhaul capacity is being built for 3G and 4G. AAVs and MSOs have a more significant role in 3G and 4G builds then during 2G and early 3G expansion when LECs dominated the market. This session will also look at how AAVs are positioning their capabilities to meet SLA demands from wireless carriers.

The Ethernet Expo is an annual conference for the global Carrier Ethernet community. The conference will feature presentations, keynotes and panel discussions about all aspects of the growing and evolving Ethernet market. Last year’s conference had over 1,000 attendees from 25 countries.

To register for Ethernet Expo, click here. For more information on Allied Fiber, visit www.alliedfiber.com.